TVC:Book 02:Tastes of Freedom
by VoyagersFan
Summary: After enjoying a little freedom away from it all, Bogg and Jeff experience the ultimate quest for freedom in a mission to save Philadelphia and the Declaration of Independence. Sequel to Discoveries. Revised 05/2009
1. A Hot Dog In the Big City

_**VOYAGERS!**_

**The Voyager Chronicles – Book 2 **

**TASTES OF FREEDOM**

**By Dennis A. Daugherty**

DISCLAIMER: Voyagers!, and it's associated characters are registered trademarks of Scholastic Productions, James D. Parriott Productions and Universal-MCA Entertainment. This story is written and provided for entertainment purposes ONLY. No copyright infringement is intended by the author.

**FORWARD**

Well folks, it's been a while, but another adventure has come to fruition. I want to take this opportunity to thank those who read and reviewed the first installment of this series. I only hope this next one lives up to the standards of the first.

In this the second installment of The Voyager Chronicles series, our two Voyagers experience first hand, the trials and tribulations of those who came to this land in search of freedom. After finding no sign of civilization in their visit to Philadelphia in 1776, the two visit the Jamestown settlement and the Plymouth colony as they attempt to figure out what happened. During these visits, they see the hardships the colonist's faced as they began their lives again in this new land.

In addition, Bogg and Jeff continue building and strengthening their relationship as partners. Their friendship grows stronger with each passing day.

I guess I better stop here, otherwise I'll give away the best parts. So at this point, find a quiet place, grab a cup of hot cocoa and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Again, thank you for your interest and taking the time to enjoy my story.

Dennis  
(VoyagersFan)

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 1 – A HOT DOG IN THE BIG CITY**

With Columbus' mission to discover the Americas now completed, Bogg and Jeff had left their new found friend on the beach attempting to communicate with the natives of the new world. Currently, they were flying through the time vortex well on the way to their next assignment. Or were they? Before they left, Bogg had misled his young partner into believing they were proceeding on with their next assignment. This bit of information, as Jeff would soon learn, couldn't have been further from the truth. Bogg would come to regret keeping their true destination a secret, for it soon would put him in a very awkward position with his partner.

For months, Bogg had been itching to return to Jeff's hometown of New York, ever since his last unscheduled visit there with Cleopatra. However, unlike most who visit that grand city to experience the nightlife, the shopping and the shows on Broadway, his reason for going there was quite different altogether. A Hot dog! During their last visit, Jeff had introduced his partner to this delicacy without realizing the effect it would have on him. Now, Bogg was craving one in much the same way as a pregnant lady craves her proverbial pickles and ice cream. As close as the two were, even after sharing the many experiences both past and present with each other, Bogg was all too embarrassed to tell his partner about the uncontrollable craving he had.

It was a beautiful day in the big city. The sun was shining brightly and reflected off the glass of the tall buildings in a way that made them look like giant icicles reaching up toward the sky. A warm breeze was blowing and the temperature was just right for a Fourth of July celebration. In the distance, a band could be heard playing the national anthem.

As the time portal opened, both voyagers fell ungracefully through and landed with a thud on the sidewalk.

"Owww! Couldn't the omni have chosen a softer landing place for us?" Jeff said as he picked himself up off the sidewalk. He walked over to Bogg and held out his hand to help him off the ground.

"Bogg, where are we?" Jeff asked curiously.

Bogg slipped the omni from his belt and opened it "New York City. July 4th 1976"

"Let me guess we have a red light."

"Nope, it's green!" Bogg said rather nonchalantly.

In all his travels with Bogg, Jeff knew from experience it was quite unusual for the omni to drop them in a time zone where there were no problems. Now puzzled by this strange occurrence, he continued to badger his partner.

"Ok, is there something wrong with the omni again?" Jeff asked.

"Nope, the omni is just fine."

"Then why are we here?" Jeff asked impatiently.

"Don't worry kid. There's absolutely nothing wrong." Bogg reassured. "I just wanted to come here again."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Right…You just wanted to come here again." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You can't be serious?"

"Yea kid, I just wanted to visit one more time." Bogg replied in an unconvincing manner as he turned away from his partner.

Jeff jumped in front of Bogg and put him on the spot. "Ok, Bogg…'fess up! Why are we really here? Is it a beautiful female?"

"Nope, not a woman." Bogg quipped.

Bogg looked at his partner with a somewhat shameful disposition on his face and then bowed his head.

"Uh… kid… I have been just dying for one of those…uh…you know… what did you call them? Oh yea! Hot dogs! You know, a big juicy one loaded with all the trimmings."

"C'mon Bogg! A hot dog!" Jeff exclaimed in disbelief. "You brought us all the way to New York City for a hot dog! Give me a break!"

At this juncture, the shameful disposition on Bogg's face rapidly dissipated and was replaced with a look of annoyance as he went on the defensive.

"Yea kid, I came here for a hot dog! What about it?"

Jeff threw his hands into the air. "We don't have time for this!" He exclaimed. "What about our next assignment?"

"We'll get around to it. There's plenty of time." Bogg reassured in a sort of carefree manner.

"But Bogg, we're Voyagers! We can't stop on a whim just to grab a hot dog!"

As Bogg continued to defend his position, he put both hands on his hips, looked at his partner with a raised brow and responded rather curtly.

"And why not? Kid, every Voyager is entitled to some time off every decade or two and I'm taking mine right now."

"Time off? For a Hot Dog?" Jeff shouted. "I can't believe my ears!"

"It's all in the Voyager handbook." Bogg quipped. "Kid you're a Voyager now, if you don't believe me… go look it up!"

"But I don't have a Voyager handbook!"

"That's your problem." Bogg said with contempt.

Having been thoroughly agitated by his partner, Bogg turned away and took off walking down the street.

"Bogg, where are you going?" Jeff pleaded. "Boooogggggg! Come back! Please!"

Bogg paid no attention to his partner and just kept on walking. During this time he began to reflect on the current situation. He knew what he had done was wrong and his conscience was rubbing his nose into it with passion. He would have never dreamed this situation could have ever sparked the argument they just had. Bogg knew he had to put an end to this once and for all, but had to be very careful with regard to how he went about it. "But how?" He thought. "If I come across too harshly it will hurt Jeff's feelings and that would do neither of us any good."

"Bogg!" Jeff cried out from the distance. "You are not going to leave me here, are you?"

For Bogg, the answer finally presented itself. The powers that be had put one more ace up his sleeve and the time had come to play it. "I've got it!" He thought. Clenching his jaw to keep a straight face, he immediately stopped in his tracks, whirled about and pointed his finger at Jeff.

"Kid, it's either a hot dog for me…or…a trip to Siberia for you! Which would you prefer?" Bogg admonished with just a hint of a smile coming through.

Being caught totally off guard by his partner's actions, Jeff stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, mesmerized, his mouth wide open. After a time he regained his senses and quickly began to re-examine his position. He had been to Siberia once before and he knew all too well it was the last place he ever wanted to visit again.

"Bogg…Uh…never mind what I said. If you want a hot dog, then by all means you shall have it!" Jeff conceded.

Immediately a large smile came across Bogg's face. "I knew you would see it my way."

"Like I really had a choice in the matter." Jeff mumbled.

Bogg waved to his partner and without hesitation Jeff sprinted to catch up with him. Now at his partner's side, Jeff put his arm around him and attempted to atone for his less than stellar behavior.

"I'm sorry Bogg. I didn't mean to upset you."

Bogg kneeled in front of him and looked him squarely in the eye.

"Kid, I'm sorry too. I should have told you the truth instead of hiding it from you. It was wrong of me to do so. I hope you will forgive me."

Jeff again put his arm around Bogg and reassured him. "It's ok Bogg, really. I forgive you. How could I ever be mad at you?"

"Thanks, kid" Bogg said as he smiled at his partner and stood up.

"There's a hot dog out there with your name on it and I know just where to find it!" Jeff exclaimed. "I know a place not too far from here where they have the biggest and best hot dogs in the city. C'mon, I'll take you there."

The two, in search of the ideal hot dog, continued their journey down the street until they arrived at a little corner eatery.

"Well, here it is!" Jeff announced. "This is the place."

"What, this little place?" Bogg asked skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"Yea, Bogg. Don't let the looks of it fool you. My dad and I used to come here all the time." Jeff acknowledged. "It may be small, but they have the best hot dogs and sandwiches around."

"I'll defer to you, kid." Bogg conceded.

Not wasting any time, the two strolled over to the window and placed their orders. Bogg ordered the obvious, a hot dog with all the trimmings and Jeff ordered a gyro. Once the food was ready, they picked it up and went over to a small table and sat down.

For some time you could hear a pin drop as both Voyagers devoured their food. In the midst of their hearty appetites, Jeff couldn't resist the urge to tease his partner once again. He put down his sandwich and glanced at Bogg

"I still can't believe you brought us here for a hot dog!"

Bogg laughed. "Kid, I just couldn't help myself. I've been dying for one of these for months and it just got the best of me."

"Well, I'm actually glad we came here." Jeff acknowledged. "It's nice to be back in my old hometown, even if it's only for a little while."

"I figured you would enjoy coming back here." Bogg said warmly. "You know kid; I haven't forgotten this is where you grew up."

"Yea, this is my old stompin' ground alright." Jeff said before taking a bite of his sandwich. "There are quite a lot of memories here, good ones and bad ones."

Upon hearing this, Bogg took a moment to pass on some of his rarely spoken words of wisdom to his partner.

"I know Jeff. We all have memories. However, we have to learn to cherish the good ones and let go of the bad ones." He said with a father-like tone. "The good ones make us strong and the bad ones make us weak."

Jeff sat there silent for a while, obviously digesting Bogg's recent food for thought. He took another bite of his sandwich, sat back in his chair and began to reminisce about his childhood in the big city.

"You know, Bogg… Mom, Dad and I lived just a couple of streets over from here. It was a very close-knit community and a really great neighborhood to grow up in. It was a place where everyone knew everybody. Of course, this can be a BIG problem for a little kid when he gets into trouble. News travels fast and when you are in trouble, it travels even faster."

Bogg grinned. "I take it you were quite the mischievous little kid."

"Yea, I was the typical kid. If trouble was around, no doubt I'd find it."

"Anyway. I remember in the afternoon after school, several of my friends and I would pick teams and play ball out in the street until dinnertime."

"Baseball?" Bogg asked.

"Yep. Baseball."

"Sometimes when dad would come home early from work, he would come out and play along with us. He was always trying out some crazy new pitch he had developed. With some of those pitches, he would do a wind-up like he was going to throw the ball halfway around the world. Well, sometimes his ideas worked and sometimes they didn't. But it didn't matter, because all my friends thought he was so cool. "

Bogg took a bite of his hot dog and responded.

"Jeff, I would have loved to have met your dad."

"He was a great guy." Jeff said lovingly. "He would have loved to have met you. I can just imagine him talking your ear off about your experiences as a Voyager. You two would have become such great friends."

"I bet he could have taught me a few things as well. " Bogg said.

"Speaking of teaching…I remember those days when he would take me to work with him. Talk about an experience! I would follow him around from class to class all day long, sit in the back of the room and listen to his lectures on history. That's what sparked my interest in the subject."

"So now I know why you are a walking history book." Bogg teased. "Wow! A little kid, getting college level history lessons. Talk about impressive."

Jeff continued. "One day when I was sitting in one of his classes, dad posed a question to the group. He looked around the room and waited patiently for someone to raise their hand, but no one ever did. When no one responded, he stood up, walked around in front of his desk and asked, 'Isn't there someone here who knows the answer?' Suddenly, he pointed to me. 'How about the little guy in the back of the room?'"

Bogg continued to be intrigued by Jeff's story. "Then what happened?"

"Well, talk about being put on the spot. The whole class turned 'round and stared at me. Luckily this was an easy question for me to answer. I stood up, looked straight at him and blurted out the answer. I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces. They were priceless. Of course, my dad in his usual cool and professional manner responded, 'Thank you Mr. Jones. You have earned your 'A' for the day.' That's one thing I loved about my dad. On campus, he was very professional, but when he was at home, he was the ultimate cool, laid-back dad."

"What about your mom?" Bogg asked. "Tell me about her. What was SHE like?"

"Well, mom… she was the best. She…" Jeff paused for a moment as tears began to well up in his eyes. His feelings of loss were once again coming to the surface.

Bogg saw the hurt in his partner's eyes and in an attempt to show his support and compassion for his loss, put his hand on Jeff's shoulder.

"It's ok. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Bogg reassured.

"No Bogg. I'm ok. Now where was I. Oh…ok. Mom, she was a coordinator, a leader, a mentor and a friend. Her primary job was to keep Dad and I on the straight and narrow." Jeff chuckled. "and she knew it too. When she wasn't busy with the two of us, she was deeply involved with her charity work and her hobbies, one of which was camping."

"Camping?" Bogg asked. "I take it she must have truly loved the great outdoors."

"Yep. Some of the best times we had as a family was those times when we all went camping. Once a month, on a Friday afternoon, we would load up all our gear in the station wagon and head off to the wilderness to spend the weekend. At first, Dad and I were rather green when it came to camping, but we learned quickly. Mom was the expert and knew everything there was to know about surviving in the great outdoors. If need be, she could pitch a tent with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back."

"Sounds like your mom was quite an adventurer." Bogg said as he took a sip of his drink. "That must be where you get it from."

"Yea, I guess so. But where mom was the adventurer in our family, Dad and I were the explorers. On a whim, we would take off on a hike through the woods looking for anything interesting. We would look for things that were tied to events in history. You know, like certain landmarks, arrowheads or fragments of other relics. My dad may have been a history professor, but he also had a real interest in archeology. Sometimes, I thought of him as another Indiana Jones. All he needed was a hat and a whip."

"Indiana Jones? Who was he?" Bogg asked innocently.

"He was a character from the movies. Indy was a college professor, historian and archeologist who was always on a quest to find history's lost artifacts. You know things like the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and such. While doing so, he would go on some of the most adventurous journeys, meet up with some really evil foes and fall in love with of the most beautiful women."

Bogg grinned as he cocked his head and rubbed his chin.

"Hmmmm…Sounds a lot like me, don't you think?" Bogg teased. "I believe I'd look good in a hat. Of course the whip would just be like icing on the cake."

"Somehow, I just knew you were going to say something like that." Jeff said sarcastically. After pausing for a moment from his long narrative, he took another bite of his sandwich."

As Jeff continued to relate the events of his past to his partner, Bogg's conscience began to bother him. He still felt bad about the prank he had played on Jeff during their last mission. Most especially the undue stress he had put him through. Bogg wanted very much to atone for his bad deed. "But how?" He thought. For days this question had overshadowed his every thought.

Like a bolt of lightning, Jeff's reminiscing had given him an idea! As long as they had been together, Jeff had spoken on several occasions of his love for camping. Whenever the subject was brought up, his eyes would light up and he would talk about it for hours on end. It was now apparent to Bogg that Jeff, not unlike his mom, had a passion for the great outdoors. By his estimate, it had been quite a few years since the kid had been camping and it was now time to change that.

Once they finished eating, Bogg reached over and squeezed Jeff's shoulder.

"Hey, how was the food?" Bogg asked.

"Great, really great! I'm glad we came here. I haven't had a gyro like that in years." Jeff boasted.

"Kid, I think it's time that you and I go on a little vacation. You know, get away from it all and clear our heads."

"A vacation! Where are we going?" Jeff asked excitedly.

"That, young man is a secret!" Bogg replied while attempting to sidestep the question. He looked to his partner and began to speak to him in his best gangster voice. "I'd tells ya, but then I'd haf to put ya on ice. Got it."

Jeff began to laugh. "Not another secret destination?" He said in disbelief.

"Yea, it's another secret destination." Bogg replied. "I promise you will love it!"

"Shouldn't we get a few things to take with us?" Jeff asked. "You know, if you're going to the beach, you can't forget the suntan lotion and the beach chairs."

"Oh, we won't need those where we are going." Bogg reassured. "Everything we need is right there waiting for us."

Jeff paused, his mind now working with the speed and precision of an atomic clock. "If we're not going to need those…" He thought. "We must be going someplace cold. Oh no! He's taking me to Siberia!"

"Please Bogg! Not another trip to Siberia!" Jeff pleaded.

"No, not Siberia." Bogg reassured. "But as I said, you'll love it."

"Whew! What a relief! You had me worried there for a moment."

Bogg reached over and tickled his partner in the ribs. "So you're not up for another trip there, huh? I am soooooooooo disappointed." He said jokingly.

Jeff squirmed. "Quit it Bogg!" He said as he chuckled. Bogg stopped his teasing and upon regaining his composure, his partner asked. "Ok, when do we leave?"

"Right now, if you want. But first…you must close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you when."

Jeff closed his eyes tightly. "Ok Bogg, they're closed!"

Bogg put out his arm to his partner. "Now grab hold of my arm."

Jeff put his hand on his partner's arm. "Ok, Bogg, I'm ready."

Bogg set the omni. He pushed the button and they were on their way.


	2. Camp Bogg

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 2 – CAMP BOGG**

It was a warm summer afternoon. The skies were clear and the sun was beaming down with all of its usual radiance. In a remote area of the Appalachian Mountains, undisturbed by the ravages of humans was a little piece of paradise. It was a place unlike any which had ever been encountered before. In the midst of this paradise stood a vast lake, whose deep blue water was warm and crystal clear from the lack of pollution. Not too far from the lake's edge stood a small single room cabin. Encircling the lake, a forest of tall old-growth trees stood like a row of soldiers as if to keep out any obvious intruders. As the winds whispered through the trees, the sweet sounds of birds could be heard singing in the distance. The new spring foliage now highlighted the ground, like a lovely green carpet, lush and dense. By most men's standards, this area was as close to Heaven on Earth as one could possibly get.

In the background, that all too familiar whistling sound could be heard as the two Voyagers slipped through the time portal. They fell from the sky and came to a landing almost directly in front of the cabin.

"Ok! We're here! Are you ok, kid?" Bogg asked as he glanced over and saw his partner sitting on the ground a few feet away.

"Yea, I'm ok." Jeff reassured. His eyes were still closed as he attempted to get to his feet.

"Hey! No peeking!" Bogg said with a grin.

Jeff finally got to his feet and started walking in the direction of Bogg's voice.

"I'm not peeking. Where are we?" He asked. "Wait! Let me rephrase that… Where are you?" Jeff held out his arms and continued to inch his way closer to his partner. After stubbing his toe on a rock, he lost his balance and began to fall.

Bogg jumped to his feet. He ran over and quickly grabbed his partner in an attempt to keep him from falling on his face. Once he was again stable on his feet, he turned Jeff to face the beautiful lake.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now." Bogg said warmly.

Jeff began to slowly open his eyes. "Wooooooooow! Where…are…we?" He asked in amazement.

In response to his partner's extreme awe, he began to explain.

"This…believe it or not is my most favorite place in all of space and time. It's my sanctuary and I wanted to share it with you."

Jeff took a moment and cast his eyes over the area. "Bogg…this is great!" He exclaimed with overwhelming excitement in his voice.

"Well kid, ever since I pulled that terrible prank on you, I have felt so guilty. I know we have always played pranks on each other, but I believe I took that one a little bit too far."

Jeff turned to face Bogg and tried to dispel his guilt about the situation.

"Bogg, it's ok!" He whispered. "How could you have known I couldn't swim? As far as I'm concerned, it's history. There are no hard feelings and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

"No kid, it's not ok for me. I still feel really bad about it." Bogg said remorsefully. "Remember, when we talked afterward, I told you that I would make it up to you somehow."

"Yea, I remember."

"For days, I have wracked my brain to try to figure out what I could do to make it up to you. However, it wasn't until you began to talk about your childhood and your days growing up in New York, that an idea finally struck me.

"What was that, Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Well, I figured there was only one way that I could possibly make it up to you."

"C'mon Bogg! The suspense is killing me!" Jeff exclaimed.

"The only way to make it up to you would be to subject you to the torture and agony of a long, excruciating, camping trip." Bogg said with a grin.

"A camping trip!" Jeff yelled with a look of disbelief in his eyes. "What do you mean by 'torture and agony?' I love camping!"

"How…" Bogg said as he started to laugh. "How could I ever forget your passion for the great outdoors? Not a day goes by that you don't say something about it. I know it's been a while since your last camping trip and that's one of the reasons I brought you here."

Jeff hugged his partner and said, "Thanks Bogg! You are terrific!"

"The same back at you, kid. But hold on, I'm not done yet. While we are here, I'm going to teach you how to swim."

"Wow! I can't wait!"

"C'mon kid, let me show you around the place and we'll set up camp." Bogg said as he put his arm around him.

Jeff examined the area curiously. Not finding any camping equipment within his immediate area he turned to his partner and posed the obvious question. "How can we set up camp when we didn't bring anything along?"

"Like I said, kid, everything we need is right here. Come, I'll show you." Bogg said with a smile. He escorted his partner over to the little cabin and opened the door. "Take a look in there!"

Jeff peeked through the door and examined the contents inside. Much to his surprise, there in front of him was a tent, two sleeping bags, a lantern, some swimming gear and two small canoes.

"Wow, Bogg! You weren't kidding when you said everything we need is right here!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Told ya! C'mon let's get started."

Bogg and Jeff pulled out the equipment and set up camp not too far from the lake's edge. Once everything was in place, they decided the time had come to have some fun. After donning their swimming gear, the two made their way toward the pristine lake.

"Last one in…swabs the deck!" Bogg yelled as he dived into the water.

"What deck?" Jeff asked.

"Smart kids give me a pain." Bogg muttered. "Never mind kid; just come on in."

Bogg leisurely swam out several feet from the shore until the water was a little more than waist deep on him. Upon looking back, he noticed his partner had yet to enter the water.

"Hey! What are you waiting for?" Bogg teased. "Come on in!"

"Duh! Haven't you forgotten something?" Jeff quipped. "I can't swim and I don't have a life jacket."

"It's ok. It's not too deep here and besides, I've got my eye on you." Bogg reassured. "If anything happens, I'll be right there."

"Ok, if you say so." Jeff said nervously. With some trepidation, he began to cautiously enter the water.

"That's it Jeff, you can do it!" Bogg yelled confidently. "Just keep coming toward me, ok?"

Jeff slowly continued toward his partner until the water around him was about waist deep. At that point, he stopped.

"Ok, Bogg. This is as far as I'm going." He stated.

"That's ok. You just stay put and I'll be right there." Bogg reassured further. He sensed Jeff's fear of the water and knew he had to help him to overcome it somehow. He promptly swam over to Jeff's side and started teasing him in an attempt to rid him of his fears.

"Well this is great, just great!" Bogg said in a robust, yet sarcastic tone. "I just had to have a partner who's a sugar cube. Kid, I think you better go ashore. You might just melt if you stay out here too long!"

Bogg's teasing had struck the wrong chord with his partner, which was what he had anticipated. At this point, Jeff had heard enough. In retaliation, he reached down and threw a large handful of water in Bogg's face.

"Here, take that!" Jeff said as he began to laugh. "I'm no sugar cube and I won't melt either!"

"Oh, so you wanna play rough now? Don't ya!" Bogg taunted. He quickly immersed his cupped hands and slung a good amount of water up onto Jeff.

Jeff returned the favor once again and Bogg did so in return. This battle, which from a distance looked like a school of sharks at feeding time, continued uninterrupted for several minutes.

Now waterlogged, Bogg stopped and exclaimed, "Ok kid, I give! I've had enough!"

"So you've had enough now, haven't you? Well I haven't." Jeff quipped. "This is for all those times you have teased me and for all those practical jokes you've pulled on me in the past."

Jeff continued to soak his partner and Bogg continued to do the same in return. The heated battle continued for several more minutes until finally Bogg called for a truce.

"Ok, Jeff. Stop! Truce! I give up!" He exclaimed as he held his arms up and surrendered.

Jeff threw his clenched fists into the air. "Yay! I won! I finally beat the great Bogg at his own game" He yelled confidently.

With the battle now over, a mischievous look came over Bogg's face. In an unexpected move, he swiftly picked up his partner in his arms and proceeded to take him out deeper into the lake.

"Bogg! What are you doing? Remember, I can't swim!" Jeff screamed.

"I know kid. I've got you and I'm not going to let go." Bogg teased. "Well, at least not just yet."

Overtaken by his partner's last bit of teasing, Jeff looked up at Bogg with a look of concern in his eyes and asked, "Bogg, what do you mean by the 'not just yet' part?"

"Relax kid!" Bogg reassured. "Now that we've had our little bit of fun, it's time to let you in on what just occurred. "

"All that splashing around was done for a reason. It was to make you more comfortable while you were in the water. You could call it lesson number one and you passed with flying colors!"

"Lesson one? C'mon Bogg, what are you talking about?" Jeff asked. Within moments of posing his question, he had an epiphany. "Wait a minute! You don't mean swimming lesson number one?"

"Well I was wondering when you'd catch on." Bogg said. "For a moment there, I thought all that water had washed the sand out from between your ears."

"It would take more than water to get rid of what's between these ears." Jeff bragged.

After making this bold statement, Jeff had unknowingly set the wheels in motion for more of Bogg's witty repartee. Snatching up another golden opportunity to tease his partner, Bogg craned his neck and began to peer inside Jeff's ear.

"Ah, I see what you mean." Bogg said with a serious tone. "Looks as if there hasn't been any work done in there in quite some time. I would recommend some soap, a brush and a whole lot of elbow grease. Don't worry though, there's still hope for you yet. At least I cannot see through to the other side."

"Funny, Bogg. Very funny!"

"Are you ready for lesson number two?" Bogg asked.

"Yea! I'm ready." Jeff exclaimed exuberantly.

Bogg reached a point in the lake where the water was now waist deep on him and stopped.

"Ok, now. The next thing you need to learn is how to keep yourself afloat." Bogg continued. "What I want you to do now is to spread your legs and arms apart as I lower you into the water. Got it?"

"Yea Bogg, got it."

Jeff spread his arms and legs wide as Bogg lowered him into the water. Once the water had reached Jeff's armpits, he began to tense up and put his arms and legs back together again.

"Don't tense up, Jeff. Just relax." Bogg reassured. "I still have hold of you. Now do as I said and stretch out your arms and legs."

"Ok Bogg."

"Now I want you to relax and keep your eyes on me. Whatever you do, just keep looking at me.", Bogg repeated. Slowly, Bogg began to release his hold on Jeff as he continued to distract him.

"You may have won that little water fight due to sheer luck. But, you haven't won the battle. I've got some bad news for you. When it comes to water fights, I can't be beaten. I'm the champ!" Bogg boasted.

"Yea, right!" Jeff said wryly. "And just who was the first one to give up?"

By this time, Bogg had released his grip on Jeff and he was now floating in the water unaided.

"I didn't give up… I was just distracting you." Bogg teased.

"You didn't distract me!" Jeff exclaimed. "I won it fair and square."

"No kid, you were just lucky." Bogg quipped.

"Hey, you want a rematch?" Jeff asked boldly. "I'm ready when you are."

"Ooo! Bring it on, kid. Bring it on!"

Bogg smiled at his partner and continued to watch him floating in the water.

"What! Why the silly grin?" Jeff asked. "I know I can beat ya'"

"It's not that." Bogg said as he nodded his head.

"Then what is it?" Jeff quipped.

"Well it looks as if you have mastered lesson two without even realizing it." Bogg said jokingly.

Jeff looked around and suddenly realized he was no longer being held by Bogg. He was now floating unaided in the waist deep water.

"What? What do you mean? Wait! Bogg, I'm floating." Jeff exclaimed.

"Yep, like a buoy. How 'bout that." Bogg acknowledged as he smiled at his partner and continued to reinforce his teaching.

"Just remember. If you are ever in the water, spread yourself out and you will stay afloat."

Bogg continued with his swimming lessons and after a few hours Jeff had learned the basics and was now quite comfortable in the water.

"Kid, I think we need to stop now and go ashore." Bogg recommended. "I don't know about you, but I am shriveled up like a prune. We'll continue these lessons at a later time. Ok?"

"Ok." Jeff replied in agreement.

The two went ashore and dried themselves off. Once they changed back into their clothes, Bogg took his young partner on a hike through the woods. Several hours later and exhausted from their long walk, the two returned to their campsite and collapsed onto the ground. A few minutes had passed before Bogg looked over at his partner and posed the question his partner had long awaited to hear.

"Hey kid, how about we get something to eat?"

"Yea. Sounds good to me. But what are we going to eat?" Jeff asked. "All we have with us is jerky."

"How about some fish?" Bogg asked.

"Alright! I love grilled fish."

"Well I've got to catch them first. Why don't you go and gather some wood for the fire and I'll catch the fish. Oh, we'll also need a couple of long sticks and some rocks to make a fire pit."

"Ok. You get the fish and I'll make the fire." Jeff agreed.

As Jeff went off to gather the items he needed to build a fire, Bogg went inside the cabin in search of his fishing gear. Once inside the room, he began to cast an eye over the area. Suddenly, he noticed his fishing pole hanging above a canoe on the far wall. He walked over and stood in front of it before reaching up and releasing it from its bonds. With all haste and his fishing pole in hand, he turned and started toward the door. Halfway there, he stopped abruptly, snapped his finger and nodded his head as if he had forgotten something. After leaning the pole against the door frame, he turned back to face the chaos of supplies and continued his search. For a moment, he stood in the midst of it all, scratching his head as he tried to remember just where he had put that one item he was now looking for. Without warning, he walked over to a stack of crates leaned against the wall and began to rummage through their contents.

Within a few minutes, he had reached into the last crate and pulled out a small gray-green box. He held it up to the light and slowly opened the lid as he peered inside. At this point, he smiled a bit, closed the lid and stuffed the box of lures into the pocket of his jerkin. Once again, he turned and grabbed his pole and ran swiftly out the door as he headed toward the lake. Upon reaching the lake's edge, he sat down on an old log and began to stealth his prey.

While Bogg was busy enjoying his stint as a fisherman, Jeff was combing the area looking for the perfect rocks he needed to build the fire pit. Building this pit, as he had done so many times in the past with his dad, was simply a matter of pride. Even though his parents were no longer with him in the physical world, he still felt their presence around him as if they were watching over him and observing his every move. After all they had taught him on their many camping adventures, he knew they would not be pleased if he took a half-hearted attempt at this endeavor.

After about thirty minutes of gathering the various rocks, wood and kindling needed to build the pit and start the fire, Jeff walked over to the area and dropped the last armload of wood to the ground. Falling to his knees in front of the huge pile of materials, he grabbed a small shovel and began to dig out a shallow hole some three feet in diameter. Upon completing the digging, he meticulously placed each of the rocks he had found around the hole and stacked the wood inside it. Going through the motions much like he had done so many times in the past, he reached into his pocket and suddenly realized there was one important item neither of them had thought about…Matches! He jumped to his feet and walked over to lake's edge where his partner now sat.

"Oh Bogg?" Jeff asked as he crept up behind him.

"Shhhh…Kid!" Bogg whispered as he waived his arm in the air. "You'll scare the fish."

"Bogg, I think we have a problem." Jeff whispered.

Bogg turned to face his partner. "What's that, kiddo?"

"I built the fire pit and gathered the wood for the fire, but I don't have any matches to start it."

"Oh, we don't need matches." Bogg said emphatically. "Here, take these fish and come with me."

Bogg put down his fishing pole and the two of them walked over to the fire pit.

"Wow, kid. You didn't have to go to all this trouble to build a fire pit. This is excellent!" Bogg said as he patted Jeff on the back.

"Yea. Dad and I were always in charge of building the fire pit for mom. If we didn't do it right, she'd make us do it over."

"Well, I assure you, you won't need to redo this one." Bogg acknowledged.

"Bogg?" Jeff asked. "How are we going to get the fire started without matches?"

"I'll show you how. You just wait here for a moment and I'll be right back." Bogg said boldly. He then walked a few feet away from his partner and began to search the surrounding area.

"Bogg, what are you looking for?" Jeff asked.

"Just you wait and see." Bogg said anxiously. "Ah ha! Found it!"

"Found what?" Jeff asked.

"Just what we need to make a fire. A piece of flint."

"A piece of what?"

"Flint, kid!" Bogg quipped. "Haven't you ever started a fire without matches before?"

"Nope! We always carried a box of matches with us when we camped."

"That's cheating." Bogg yelled to his partner and laughed.

"Nuh uh" Jeff replied. "That's not cheating!"

Bogg walked back over to the fire pit and dropped to his knees in front of it. "Kid, if you're going to go to all the trouble of 'roughing it', you have to do it right you know. Come over here and let me show you some magic."

Jeff walked over and stood beside his partner as he watched him take a knife from his pocket, open it and hold it up in front of him.

"Ok. This is a knife." Bogg said with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Duh!" Jeff exclaimed. "Like I've never seen one before."

Bogg placed the knife on the ground and then picked up the piece of flint.

"And this, my young apprentice is a piece of flint." Bogg said as he chuckled a bit.

"Wow, we have a knife and a rock." Jeff said sarcastically. "I can't wait to see what you are going to show me next. Is this show and tell or something?"

Bogg rolled his eyes. "Kid, you're just a barrel of laughs. Enough of the wise-cracks! Listen up and you might just learn something!"

"Ok, OK!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'm listening."

Bogg picked up the knife and stuck the tip of it into the ground underneath the wood Jeff had so neatly stacked inside the pit. He reached behind him and grabbed some dry leaves and placed them next to the blade.

"Now watch closely." Bogg urged.

With his partner's attention now focused on him, he picked up the piece of flint, leaned over and began to strike it against the back of the knife blade. At this point, sparks began to fly.

"Wow Bogg, sparks!" Jeff said excitedly. "I never knew you could do that."

Bogg continued to strike the flint against the blade until he saw a small glow and a ribbon of smoke coming from the midst of the dry leaves. Once he noticed the ember, he gently began to caress it with his breath and it suddenly grew into a small flame. After carefully placing some small twigs over it, he continued to nurture the baby flame until at last it had grown into a roaring fire.

Bogg stood up and asked, "How's that for a fire?"

Jeff was amazed with his partner's magic. "Wow Bogg, that was great! I've never seen that done before. "

"Here kid, catch! " Bogg warned before tossing the piece of flint to his partner. "Put that in your pocket and hold on to it."

"Hey thanks!" Jeff said warmly.

Bogg walked over to the edge of the wood and started looking around as if he were searching for treasure. After a few moments, he kneeled in front of a small leafy plant and plucked several leaves from it. Next, he walked over to a small bush with long thin leaves and plucked a few of those. Once he was finished there, he picked up two "Y" shaped branches from the ground before returning to the edge of the fire pit.

"What's all that for, Bogg?" Jeff asked curiously.

"It's some wild herbs to season the fish and a few branches to help us grill it." He explained.

Bogg knelt down and stuck the two Y-shaped branches into the ground on opposite sides of the fire pit. With all haste, he began to prepare the fish for grilling. Once he finished, he placed them on the two sticks Jeff had found and rubbed them briskly with the herbs he himself had gathered. Carefully, he placed the skewered fish on the Y-shaped branches over the fire pit.

"Bogg, I think you've done this before." Jeff insisted.

"Many times, kid…" Bogg said as he winked at his partner.

As the two sat and waited for the fish to cook, Bogg began to talk about all the times he had camped there.

"How did you find this place?" Jeff asked.

Bogg put his hands behind his head and lay back onto the ground. "It's a long story, but it'll be a while before the fish are done, so I'll tell you. Many years ago, while I was a student at Voyager Academy, I came to a point where I began to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. The stress of trying to digest so much information in such a little bit of time was taking its toll. It was at that time, a fellow classmate told me about this place where his parents had taken him camping when he was a kid. He said it was the most beautiful and serene place on Earth and a visit there was just what I needed to clear my head and regroup."

Jeff looked at his partner and asked the obvious. "Bogg, how did you get here without an omni?"

"Well, I did have an omni." Bogg said as he smiled bashfully.

"They give you an omni when you are still in Voyager school?" Jeff asked.

"Yea kid." Bogg replied. "I know it's hard to believe, but they give you a 'training omni.'"

"So tell me more about this 'training omni.'" Jeff prodded.

"It's an omni that only has limited functions." Bogg explained. "Once a voyager reaches his second year of training, he is given one of these special omnis. Trainees use it to familiarize themselves with the real thing and to do their homework assignments. Don't be misled, kid. It may be called a 'training omni', but it still has the capability of basic time travel."

"Anyway, I needed some time away from VA to clear my head, so that's when I decided to dial up this place on my training omni and investigate. When I arrived the first time, I found it to be much like a haven of sorts. It had such a calming effect on me. It was just the thing I needed to get myself back on track."

"Did you get in trouble for coming here?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, the first time." Bogg admitted, with some shame. "When my instructor found out about my little trip, he was so upset. He called me to his office, sat me down and read me the riot act. He told me that I had made an unauthorized journey and I shouldn't have gone alone. Once my tongue-lashing was complete, he pronounced sentence on me for my actions."

"What did he do?" Jeff asked. "They didn't kick you out of Voyager Academy, did they?"

Bogg took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Nope, nothing that drastic. My punishment was to help him dust and straighten all of the books at the Voyager Academy Library."

"I'll bet that was easy." Jeff teased. "I've had worse punishments than that."

Bogg nodded. "Kid, obviously you have never been to Voyager Academy library. It has three floors and over a million volumes. Once I was done, it took weeks to get all the dust out of my lungs."

Jeff's eyes grew wide as he was now stunned. "Oh."

"After that, I didn't get to come back here again until I had graduated. Before we met, I came here quite often to clear my head. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to share this place with you, in much the same way it was shared with me."

Jeff smiled at Bogg and expressed his feelings with regard to Bogg's gesture. "Thanks Bogg. Thanks for bringing me here and sharing this with me. I hope this won't be the last time we come here."

"No, kid." Bogg reassured. "We'll be back! I promise."

Bogg reached over and began to poke the fish to see if they were done. He picked up a skewer and handed it to his partner.

"Looks like the fish are done." He announced. "Here, Jeff. You first! Have one."

Jeff took the skewer from his partner. "Thanks."

As Bogg sat and watched intently, Jeff slowly raised the skewer to his mouth and took a nibble of the fish. After a few moments, Jeff took yet another bite, but still said nothing.

"Well?" Bogg asked impatiently. "How is it!"

Jeff looked over at his partner and put his mind at ease. "This is good! Really good! Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just love to cook, but I hardly ever get the chance anymore." Bogg replied.

"Ummm…If it tastes like this, you can cook for me anytime." Jeff said as he took another bite.

"Hey… thanks!"

For the remainder of the evening, the two Voyagers sat around the campfire, enjoying their meal and each other's conversation. As the sun made its way below the horizon, darkness had fallen over the area. Through the flickering flames, Bogg peered curiously over at his partner, who by now had decided to lie down in his sleeping bag and rest for a while.

"Hey kid, you still awake?" Bogg prodded.

Jeff sat up and began to yawn. "Yea. I'm awake, just barely. I'm tired. It's been a long day".

"It's been a long day for me, too. " Bogg said as he tried to hold back a yawn. "Maybe we should turn in for the night. We have another big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Jeff lowered himself back into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

Bogg grabbed his sleeping bag, walked over and unrolled it next to his partner. After getting inside, he struggled for a moment to get to a comfortable position before finally closing his eyes.

"Good night, Jeff."

"Good night, Bogg."

------------------------------------

Several days passed. The two Voyagers continued to enjoy their little vacation away from it all. The schedule for most days included exploring, relaxing by the lake, talking and eating. Not only was Bogg able to get in some good quality bonding time with his new partner, but he also was able to continue working on his partner's swimming skills as well. In addition, he honed his hunting, fishing and cooking skills as he prepared the meals for the two of them. By the morning of the third day, after much deserved rest and relaxation, the two were now ready to take on their next assignment. Nudged by the bright rays of the morning sun and the sounds of birds singing in the trees, the two awakened to the start of a new day.

Bogg, still half inside his sleeping bag, sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned. For a moment, he sat there with his head down, silent, attempting to come back to life after such a sound sleep. Upon his return to the land of the living, he glanced over at his partner, who was still fast asleep.

"Hey kiddo! Wake up!" Bogg said in a whisper as he nudged him gently.

There was no response. Bogg threw back the cover of his sleeping bag, crawled out and kneeled at his partner's side. After putting his hand on Jeff's shoulder, he once again attempted to wake him.

"C'mon Jeff, it's time to wake up.", Bogg said in a slight whisper. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

Jeff turned over and while still half asleep, muttered, "Dad, I'm so tired. Can't I stay home from school today?"

Stunned by the words of his partner, Bogg paused for a moment as he attempted to process what he had just heard. He had always considered himself a father to the young boy, but being called 'dad' was quite a different matter. Much to his surprise, a warm and fuzzy feeling now came over him, one that reached to the very depths of his soul. In response to this feeling, he began to beam with joy as a big smile came over his face.

Putting aside his plans for the day, Bogg decided to play along and allow Jeff to enjoy one last day of sleeping late. He leaned over his partner and pushed his tousled hair away from his face and whispered in his ear.

"It's ok kid. There's no school today." He said softly. "You just stay home and rest." After pulling the top of the sleeping bag up under Jeff's chin, Bogg got to his feet and tiptoed quietly away.

While his partner slept, Bogg worked feverishly to gather up all of the camping gear and stow it away inside the cabin. Once he had finished cleaning up, he started a fire and made breakfast for the two of them.

As Bogg went about preparing breakfast, a mouth-watering aroma had begun to permeate the area. It was an aroma so overpowering; it was enough to bring Jeff out of his current state of slumber. Unexpectedly, Jeff sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Bogg?" Jeff said sleepily.

"Hey Rip. What took you so long?" Bogg teased. "You almost missed breakfast."

Jeff stood up, walked over and kneeled beside the campfire.

"Rip?" Jeff asked as he rubbed his neck and yawned. "Who's Rip?"

Bogg laughed. "Rip Van Winkle… You know the guy that slept for ages."

"Funny Bogg." Jeff said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "I didn't sleep THAT long."

"I was just teasing you, kiddo. Did you sleep well?" Bogg asked.

"Yea." Jeff replied as he peered curiously around the area.

"Bogg, how long have you been up?" Jeff asked.

"Well, kid, I'd say at least a couple of hours now. "

"I would say so from the looks of things." Jeff said in a sarcastic manner. "I see you've put away all our gear as well as made breakfast for the two of us. Why didn't you wake me so I could give you a hand?" He admonished.

"You looked like you needed a little extra sleep and I really needed the exercise." Bogg said as he smiled at Jeff and continued preparing their breakfast.

"But Bogg, it's not fair for you to have to do ALL of the work!" Jeff exclaimed. "This vacation was just as much for you as it was for me. You have worked yourself to death waiting on me while we've been here."

"It's ok!" Bogg reassured as he winked at Jeff. "I don't mind the work at all. It's all for a good cause. And besides, the exercise was good for me. There's nothing like a little manual labor to get the old heart pumping again."

"Are you sure Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Kid! Really, it's ok.", Bogg quipped. "Now quit being a pain, get over here and have something to eat. Otherwise, I may have to drop you off on the snowy slopes of Siberia. Got it? And since you don't have any skis with you, getting down might just be a problem."

"Got it Bogg!" Jeff replied. "You don't have to remind me twice."

Jeff slid over next to Bogg and served himself up a generous portion of breakfast his partner had prepared. Bogg served himself and the two sat silently enjoying their meal and the scenery around them. Once they had finished, Bogg looked to his partner and started to discuss the day's agenda.

"Kid, I don't know about you, but I think it's time we get on with our next mission."

"Yea. As much as I love camping we just can't stay here forever." Jeff agreed. "We're Voyagers. It's up to us to keep things on track. We can't do our job if we spend all our time on vacation."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Bogg said. "I knew there was something I liked about you. Now c'mon, we need to finish picking up here and we'll be ready to go."

The two voyagers packed up their remaining gear and placed it inside the cabin. After dousing the fire with water, Bogg checked the door of the cabin one more time to see if it was securely fastened. At this point, he walked over and stood next to his partner. After slipping the omni from his belt, he opened it and adjusted the dials.

"Well, kid. I guess it's time." Bogg said with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"Yea, but, we'll be back and I can't wait to come here again." Jeff said excitedly.

Bogg held his arm out for his partner. "Me too, Jeff! It's been quite a while since I have had this much fun. Ready?"

Jeff grabbed hold of his arm. "Ready, Bogg."

"Another adventure is just waiting for us." Bogg said boldly as he waived his hand across the heavens.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be dull." Jeff teased.

Bogg closed the omni, hit the button and they vanished.


	3. We The Only People?

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

Chapter 3 – WE…THE ONLY PEOPLE?

Bogg and Jeff, fully recharged from their days of relaxation and fun, arrived at the location of their next mission. After falling ever so ungracefully through the time portal, they landed in the middle of a hayfield in what at first glance appeared to be a very remote almost untouched area.

Bogg stood up, dusted himself off and began to search for his partner.

"Jeff!" He shouted. "Hey kid! Where are you?"

Several feet from his partner and surrounded by thick wall of plant stalks, Jeff sat up and yelled back. "Hey Bogg! I'm over here!"

Bogg glanced over and spotted his young partner. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yea, I'm ok." Jeff stood up and made his way over to Bogg.

"Where are we?" He asked.

Bogg opened the omni. "Philadelphia…July 4th, 1776… and just what we expected…a red light!"

"What? Philadelphia?" Jeff exclaimed. "This can't be right?"

"That's what it says, kid!" Bogg said as he held the omni in front of Jeff.

Jeff surveyed the area and suddenly latched on to his partner's arm. "Bogg, something's definitely not right here." He said in a rather low solemn tone.

Bogg, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, responded. "Yea, kid! Like I really didn't know that already."

Again, he held the omni in front of Jeff's face and pointed to its flashing red light in an attempt to drive his point home.

"As I remember from Voyager Academy…uh…I believe it was lesson 4 of the Omni Basics Class, this is known as a 'red light.' When it flashes, it means there is something wrong with history." Bogg said with a grin.

Jeff slowly nodded and played along with his partner's musings.

"Oh, I see. I've often wondered what that light really meant. I thought it meant to STOP. Thanks for setting me straight on that."

As Bogg started to reply to his partner's last statement, he lowered his brow as a look of annoyance came over his face.

"Smart…" Bogg said before his partner interrupted him.

"I know what you're gonna say…" Jeff said wryly. "Smart kids give you such a pain."

"How DID you ever guess?" Bogg asked.

"I'm psychic. Didn't you know?" Jeff replied as he threw his hands in the air.

"Oh, is that what they are calling it now?" Bogg replied curtly.

"You've had your laugh, now let's get serious." Jeff admonished. "I mean it Bogg! Something is way, way off here."

"Sorry, 'bout that kid." Bogg said sheepishly. "I can sense your concern by the tone of your voice. What do you think is wrong here?"

"Look around!" Jeff yelled emphatically, as he moved his hand across the horizon.

"All I see is fields and forest in the distance, so…what gives?" Bogg asked innocently.

"Duh! This is Philadelphia!" Jeff exclaimed. "There should be homes, churches, and other buildings all around. Not to mention the most famous of all, Independence Hall."

"Well, maybe we're somewhere outside of town. You know, like on a farm or something."

"Bogg! Don't you think we would have seen someone or something by now?" Jeff said.

Bogg began to survey the area. "I guess you've got a point. There's absolutely nothing for miles around."

"This place was a very important part of US history. Our founding fathers started the first Continental Congress here. It was where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and also where the first Continental Congress declared this country a free nation by ratifying it. Bogg we have got to find out what happened to cause Philadelphia to disappear."

"Calm down kid." Bogg reassured. "We WILL get to the bottom of this. We have to, but…where do we start?"

"Everything was ok when we left Columbus on the beach at the end of our last mission. His discovery laid the foundation for the beginnings of this nation. There are only two other major events that could have kept the colonists from settling here."

"Ok. You're the walking history book. So what were they?" Bogg asked.

"The first would be the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607. After that, the next major event would have been when the Pilgrims landed in 1620."

"So you think something could have happened to Jamestown or to cause the Pilgrims not to make it to the new world in 1620?" Bogg asked.

"Yep. It has to be one or the other." Jeff agreed.

"Well what are we waiting for? Bogg said as he unclipped the omni from his belt and opened it. "Ok, kid, where to next?"

Jeff spouted out the date and place as if he'd lived there all his life.

"Jamestown colony, on the coast of what is now Virginia. The date is May 7, 1607, no… wait, that's when they first landed, let's get there a couple of months later, to give them time to get established. Let's say August 7, 1607"

Bogg dialed up the settings on the omni and then closed it.

"Ready kid?" Bogg asked.

"Let's go!" Jeff said as he grabbed his partner's arm.

Bogg pushed the button and the two were now on their way.


	4. A Little Bit of Survellience

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 4 – A LITTLE BIT OF SURVELLIENCE**

The two voyagers arrived at the Jamestown settlement. Even though there were scores of colonists all about the area, Bogg and Jeff plummet to earth unnoticed and come to a stop on top of a wagonload of soft, fresh hay.

"What a landing!" Jeff exclaimed. "Why can't this happen every time?"

"I told you kid, Voyager Technical is working on it."

"I know, I know. I wish they would work a little faster." Jeff grumbled. "Those hard landings are beginning to take their toll on me. At this rate, by the time I'm your age, my body will be toast." Once he had made his point, Jeff turned and started to climb down.

Having taken offense to his partner's age insult, Bogg quickly grabbed the back of Jeff's shirt and pulled him back. "Hey, now just a minute…" he said with a raised brow and a cheesy grin on his face.

"What?" Jeff exclaimed.

"What did you mean, 'by the time you're my age?'" Bogg quipped "I'll have you to know. I'm not old; I'm in my prime." He boasted as he held up his arm and flexed his bicep. "I'm in perfect shape! You just feel THAT. You don't have that when you are passed your prime."

Jeff squeezed Bogg's arm. "OWWW! You didn't have to squeeze it that hard." Bogg moaned as he winced in pain. He quickly lowered his arm and shook it briskly in an attempt to thwart his suffering.

"In perfect shape, huh? That's questionable." Jeff said snidely.

"Well smarty britches, let's see yours.", Bogg said brusquely.

Jeff held up his arm and flexed it. Bogg reached over and squeezed his bicep. "What? You call that a muscle." Bogg said as he laughed.

"What do you expect, I'm just a kid." Jeff puffed on his bent fingertips and polished them on his shirt. "I guess you could say 'I'm before my prime." He said mockingly.

"Yea, way before it." Bogg teased.

"Bogg!" Jeff reached over and punched his partner on the arm.

"OWWW!" Bogg exclaimed as he rubbed away the pain.

Once Bogg regained the feeling in his extremity, he retrieved the omni and opened it.

"Looks like we're here. Jamestown, August 7, 1607. And a green light! Everything looks ok here." He closed the omni and clipped it to his belt.

"Bogg, even though everything is ok here. Can we stay for a while and observe?" Jeff asked. "Please Bogg? I have always wanted to see what life was like for the colonists."

"Sure kid, but only for a little while. Remember, Philadelphia is depending on us, as well as the nation for that matter." Bogg replied. "C'mon, we've got to hide before someone sees us. He surveyed the area and spotted a shed a few feet away. "C'mon, there's an old shed over there. We can hide inside."

Bogg and Jeff looked around to see of the coast was clear, climbed down off the wagon and ran for cover inside the shed.

"Whew! That was close." Jeff said as he leaned over to catch his breath.

"You said it, kid. We dare not let anyone see us in these clothes. It would raise some rather awkward questions." Bogg said. "If we're going to venture out into the colony here, we are definitely going to need some clothes of the period. Not only will we need them here, but for our visit to Plymouth as well. You stay put. I'll go see if I can rustle up some."

As Bogg turned to leave, Jeff grabbed his arm.

"Oh no you don't! You're not going to leave me here! I'm coming with you." Jeff whispered.

"No Jeff! Not this time. With these clothes, if I'm discovered I just might be able to convince someone I'm a colonist. But, your red striped shirt and sneakers would be difficult to explain. Just wait for me here, ok."

"I guess you're right." Jeff conceded. "There was no red striped clothing in the Jamestown era. I'll stay here, but YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

"You be careful, ok." Jeff said with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Right!" Bogg agreed as he slowly exited the door.

Bogg weaved his way inconspicuously through the rows of buildings in the area. As he continued toward the center of town, he was almost spotted by a man carrying a large bag of grain down the street. Upon noticing the colonist headed in his direction, he ducked behind an old barrel until he had passed. When the coast was clear, he stood up and continued with his quest.

After fifteen minutes or so, Bogg finally found what he had been looking for. In front of him there stood a lone cabin, where earlier in the day, some freshly laundered clothing had been hung on the fence to dry.

"YES! Just what I've been looking for!" Bogg thought.

Crouching down to keep from being seen, he slowly and cautiously made his way over to the fence and hid behind one of the posts. He paused for a moment as he surveyed the area to see if there was anyone around. Seeing that the coast was clear, he grabbed what he and Jeff needed and darted off, unnoticed. Once he was out of sight, he stopped to take inventory of what he taken and then returned to the shed where his partner now anxiously awaited his arrival. Without warning, the door to the shed swung open and a tall, shadow of a figure stood in the midst.

"Bogg is that you?" Jeff whispered nervously from behind a barrel.

"No, it's the clothes fairy!" Bogg quipped. "Who do you think?"

Jeff stood up and walked over to greet his partner as he came through the door.

"Whew! You're back!" Jeff exclaimed as he walked over and closed the door.

"Here kid, put these on." Bogg said as he handed him some clothing.

Jeff took the garments from him and sat down on a small wooden box. As he began to put them on, an unpleasant look came over his face. He stopped momentarily and looked over to his partner. "Ok Bogg. Where DID you find these clothes? Aren't they just a wee bit damp?"

"Kid, if you must know, I found them draped across a fence behind a cabin." Bogg quipped as he stepped into a pair of breeches and pulled them up on his hips. "I believe they were put there to dry after they had been washed."

"Couldn't you find something a little less clean and a little drier?" Jeff teased.

Bogg picked up a pair of white stockings lying near him and pulled them over his feet and up to his knees. After he had tied them off with garters, he turned to his rather sassy partner and put him in his place.

"Mine are damp too, so quit your whining and put them on." Bogg quipped. "A little bit of water won't hurt you. Now hurry up."

"Ok! OK! I'm putting them on…Don't have a coronary!" Jeff barked.

"A what?" Bogg asked innocently.

Jeff nodded his head in disbelief. "Never mind!" Jeff replied curtly.

A few minutes later, the two voyagers had finished dressing themselves. Bogg in his black doublet and breeches, white cuffs and white stockings, looked as if he had just stepped off the Mayflower. Jeff, dressed almost identically, looked like his diminutive twin. They were now ready to blend in and observe those in the settlement.

"Ready to go kid?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I guess I'm ready."

The two walked toward the door. Before they could step outside, Jeff noticed his partner's hat lying on the floor and grabbed his arm.

"Bogg, you forgot your hat." Jeff whispered.

Bogg walked over, picked up his hat and placed it on his head.

"Thanks kid. I bet I would have looked quite strange around here without a hat on."

Jeff smiled and nodded. "Yea, right!"

Bogg opened the door and the two stepped outside.

As the two proceeded through the main street of the settlement, they observed the colonists going about the tasks of daily living. To Bogg, these activities were nothing out of the ordinary, since very little had changed by the time he was a kid, some 100 years hence. However, to his young partner, the whole of the Colonial existence was fascinating. There were men in the fields plowing with oxen and mules. Still others were cutting hay with their scythes and gathering it for their animals. Several women were outside their homes, slaving over large iron pots of what looked like washing, while others were watching over their children. Along with all this varied activity in the area, there were also several buildings now under construction.

After a while, Bogg and Jeff noticed a lone colonist on in the process of building a cabin. As they got closer to him, they realized he was building the structure unaided. While the two observed, unobtrusively, he attempted to set a difficult timber. Moments later, he lost his footing and almost fell off the structure.

Bogg looked at his partner. "It looks as if he could use some help, don't you think?"

"Yea Bogg. A little bit more and he would have been seriously hurt or even killed."

"C'mon, let's see what we can do."

The two walked over to the structure and stood near the makeshift ladder. Bogg attempted to get the attention of the colonist by waving his arms at him.

"Sir! My partner and I couldn't help but notice you were having some difficulty setting that timber. Could you use some help?"

The colonist cautiously made his way over to the ladder and then climbed down to greet the two.

"My good sir, I would welcome thy help with this difficult task. " The colonist replied. He then introduced himself. "My name is John and who mightst thou be?"

"Sir, my name is Phineas Bogg. This is my young son Jeffrey." Bogg replied.

"A pleasure to make thy acquaintance." John said as he held out his hand. "Hast thou been here long?"

Bogg suddenly realized the question that was to come next, so he interrupted the colonist and redirected his train of thought.

"We came over on the ship with you, remember?" Bogg replied. "Good sir, why are you building this structure by yourself?"

"Well sir, there were others." John replied. "They had other commitments and had to leave. I must continue the work, lest it not be complete by winter."

"Please allow us to help. First, let me help you set that difficult timber." Bogg said as he made his way over to the makeshift ladder.

John and Bogg began to climb the ladder up to the top of the structure. After climbing about three rungs, Bogg realized his partner was following closely behind him. He immediately stopped and looked back at Jeff.

"Kid, you stay down here just in case we need something. It's just too dangerous for you to be up there."

"Ah Bogg!! I'm gonna miss out on all the fun."

"No, kid! There's nothing fun about falling and breaking your neck." Bogg chided.

"I guess you are right." Jeff said as he resigned himself to his fate. "I'll just stay here, but you be careful. It won't be too fun if you fall and break your neck either."

Bogg continued to climb the ladder until he reached the top of the structure. Cautiously, he and John made their way over and began wrestling with the timber. After several minutes of tugging, pulling and hammering, the timber fell into position with a thud.

"Way to go Bogg!" Jeff yelled.

"Thanks kid." Bogg yelled back to him.

Hours later, with Bogg and Jeff's assistance, John had managed to finish framing the entire roof structure. By this time, the sun had begun to set. The two, now exhausted from their efforts came down the ladder to meet Jeff on the ground below.

"I thank thee so very much for your help." John said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "How may I ever repay thee for such hard work?"

"Well sir, after all this labor, we both would appreciate a good meal." Bogg said.

"A good meal, is that all?" John asked, somewhat shocked.

"That's all we require, sir" Bogg replied.

"You two come with me. I'll see that you get a good meal, that's for sure." John said a he walked away from them.

Jeff looked at Bogg and whispered, "Wow Bogg. This is great. We get to try some real colonist food."

"Colonist food….Yea, if you say so." Bogg whispered halfheartedly.

"Why don't you show a little more enthusiasm, Bogg?" Jeff teased.

"Kid, you've never eaten 'colonist food' before… Just you wait." Bogg warned. "Once you've tasted it, you'll know exactly what I mean."

The two followed their friend into a small cabin several hundred feet from the construction site. Once they had walked inside, John invited them to be seated at the table. Soon after, his wife and young daughter approached them.

"My dear fellows, this is my wife Sarah and my daughter Elizabeth." John said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Bogg and Jeff rose from their seats almost instantaneously.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintances" Bogg said as he bowed his head in a gentlemanlike manner.

"It is our pleasure sir." Sarah replied. "Welcome to our humble abode. Please be seated and warm thyselves by the fire."

"Sarah, these men assisted me with the work on the cabin." John explained. "With their help, we were able to finish the roof trusses. I asked what would be an appropriate payment for their labors, but all they wanted was a good meal."

"Well gentlemen, if a good meal is what you want, then that's what you shall have." Sarah said boldly. "Mind you, 'tis not much. Only a bit of stew and some shortbread. But it's warm and filling."

"Whatever you have is much appreciated, ma'am." Bogg said humbly.

Sarah walked over to the hearth, kneeled down in front of a large iron kettle and began to dish up bowls of stew for each of their guests and her husband. Elizabeth set down a plate of shortbread on the table along with some butter and goblets of water. Finally they both served themselves and sat down at the table with their guests.

Just as Bogg was about to dig in to his stew, Jeff noticed that John had bowed his head in an indication he was about to give thanks for the meal. Jeff looked at his partner, cleared his throat and motioned to him to stop for a moment.

Bogg realized what was happening and mouthed to his partner. "Oh, sorry kid." He and Jeff bowed their heads.

John began his prayer.

"Our dear Lord and Savior. We thank thee for the food, which thou hast set before us today. We thank thee for the blessings, which thou hast bestowed upon us in this new land. We ask that you will continue to bless and guide us all through this time of struggle and give us the strength and courage to face the days ahead. In the name of the Father we pray, Amen."

"Please gentlemen, eat, before it gets cold." John urged.

Bogg and Jeff started chowing down on the stew with the appetite of a couple of hungry bears.

Jeff stopped for a moment and looked at Sarah. "Ma'am, this stew is quite good." He said.

Sarah smiled and then replied, "Thank you my dear. I'm flattered. It's a simple recipe I brought with me from the old country. "

"Mr. Bogg?" Sarah asked.

"Yes ma'am." Bogg replied.

"Please forgive me for being so bold, but, I'm curious. Your son is here with you, where is your wife?"

Not anticipating this sort of question from their hostess, Bogg choked on his stew and started coughing.

Jeff got up from the table and ran over to his partner's side. "Father are you ok?" Jeff asked as he slapped him on the back.

"Yes son…" Bogg reassured as he continued to cough and gasp. "I…I'm ok. I just had a bit of stew that went down the wrong way."

Once he realized Bogg was ok, Jeff walked back over and sat down at the table.

"Ma'am, to answer your question, Jeff's mom passed from this world some time ago." Bogg said sadly.

Sarah gasped. "Oh, I'm truly sorry. Did she not survive the voyage from the old country?"

"No ma'am, it was an accident involving a wagon."

"Phineas, could you and Jeffrey lend me a hand tomorrow." John interrupted. "I still have much left to finish."

"I'm sorry John." Bogg said with remorse. "We would love to help you, but we have other commitments tomorrow."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I understand." John said with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

Bogg was now feeling a bit uncomfortable with this situation. He had finished his bowl of stew and now looked over at his partner.

"Jeff, it's getting late. I think we need to go and let these good people clean up and get some rest."

"But father, I haven't even finished eating yet." Jeff replied.

"Jeffrey!" Bogg said with a raised brow. "C'mon, let's go."

Jeff put down his spoon and took a gulp of water from his goblet. With a scowl on his face, he stood up, stomped over and stood next to his partner. He listened intently while Bogg attempted to make a hasty, yet courteous exit.

"John, Sarah, Elizabeth, it was a pleasure meeting you all and we thank you very much for the delicious meal you prepared. Unfortunately, we must now be on our way." Bogg explained graciously.

"It was a pleasure, Phineas." John replied. "I hope you will join us for dinner again in the future."

"Yes, thank you." Bogg assured as he opened the door. "Coming, Jeff."

Bogg and Jeff strolled out the door. John followed them as far as the edge of the porch and watched as the two walked down the street. Once they had disappeared into the darkness of the night, he went back inside and closed the door behind him. Quietly, he returned to his seat at the table and sat there with a puzzled look on his face.

"I can tell something is bothering you. John, pray tell me, what is it?" Sarah asked her husband.

He slowly raised his head and looked at his wife. "That was odd. I wonder what spooked them?"

By the dim light of a quarter moon, the two Voyagers ventured back to the little shed not too far from where they had landed. During their short walk, the only sound that could be heard was a lone owl screeching in a nearby tree. Jeff was far from pleased with their hasty exit and Bogg knew it all too well by the silent treatment he was getting. After a few minutes, Bogg couldn't bear the silence any longer and spoke up.

"Jeff…I…" Bogg said before being interrupted by his partner.

"Bogg, why did we have to leave so soon?" Jeff said impatiently. "I was really enjoying myself."

The two stopped in the middle of the dimly lit street. Bogg put a reassuring hand on Jeff's shoulder and tried his best to explain his actions.

"Kid, I know you weren't ready to leave yet." Bogg empathized. "I'm sorry we couldn't have stayed longer."

"You still haven't answered my question, Bogg." Jeff exclaimed. "Why DID we have to leave?"

"Let me explain. The main reason why we left so suddenly was Sarah was beginning to ask too many questions." Bogg replied patiently. "Didn't you hear her ask me about my wife? I was totally caught off guard by that one."

Jeff stood there, still miffed by Bogg's decision to leave, but in his mind he was beginning to realize what he had done was the correct course of action.

"Kid, you're not the only one that's disappointed about leaving." Bogg explained in a warm even tone. "I too was enjoying this experience. But, had we stuck around any longer, I'm sure we would have been asked some pretty awkward questions. Ones we wouldn't have been at liberty to answer."

After listening to his partner's explanation, Jeff's frustration with him had begun to subside. He looked up at Bogg and smiled a bit.

"Still mad at me kid?" Bogg asked.

Jeff breathed a sigh. "No Bogg. I'm not mad at you." Jeff reassured. "I understand the situation now. What you did was for the best and it had to be done."

Bogg put his arm around Jeff as they again continued to walk down the street.

"C'mon we need to get back to the shed and continue with our mission." Bogg urged. "We've got an appointment with the Pilgrims, you know."

Moments later the two arrived at the little shed and went inside. Bogg folded their street clothes, placed them in an empty burlap bag and handed the bag to his partner. , At this point, Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt and opened it.

"Ok, looks like we're got everything." He said as he scanned the room. "Next stop, a visit with the Pilgrims. What's the date, kiddo?"

"Hmmmm, Let's see now." Jeff thought. "Ok, got it! Plymouth, Massachusetts, December 21, 1620"

Bogg set the omni and with Jeff holding on to his arm, pressed the button.


	5. The Landing At Plymouth

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 5 – THE LANDING AT PLYMOUTH**

It was a blustery cold day on the shores of Plymouth Rock. A bit of sun could be seen peaking through on the morning horizon. The skies were mostly filled with bloated, gray snow clouds, which looked as if they were preparing to drop their contents over the surrounding area. At the moment, however, there was a just hint of selfishness in the air as only a few flakes were being given up. A cold breeze, somewhat gentle in nature was blowing in from offshore and was kissing the tops of the nearby trees.

Unlike the sound made by the wind as it gently passed through the trees, an all too familiar whistling sound could now be heard growing louder and louder in the area. Without warning, the two Voyagers arrived at this most revered place to begin the next phase of their assignment. In the midst of a large, barren oak tree, the two ended their journey.

"OWWW!" Jeff exclaimed. He slowly rubbed the back of his neck and raised his head. As he looked around, he realized he was halfway up a tree and his partner was nowhere in sight. Concerned at this point, his only thought was "Where is Bogg?" After a time he started yelling for his partner.

"Bogg! Hey! Where are you?"

"Calm down Jeff. Look up!" Bogg said anxiously.

Jeff, startled by Bogg's response, grasped his chest and attempted to breathe once again. As he looked up, he saw Bogg a short distance away, clinging for dear life to a large branch.

"What are you trying to do Bogg, scare me to death?" Jeff yelled.

"No, not really. I just wanted you to know where I am."

"You could have accomplished the same thing without scaring me."

"Yea, right. Sorry kid. Next time I'll just hang here and drop acorns on your head." Bogg said with his usual bit of wit. "Besides, if I wanted to scare you, all I have to do is say the word 'Siberia.' That'll do the trick."

"Ok. I got the picture." Jeff conceded. "Now, enough of the funny business, I'm coming up there to give you a hand."

"No kid! Stay there! You might fall. I'll manage." Bogg replied hastily. With extreme patience and caution, he began to traverse the branch until he had reached the main trunk of the tree. Once there, he threw one of his long legs over on the trunk to establish a foothold and then swung the rest of his body into position.

"Whew! That's more like it." Bogg said in a state of relief.

Jeff again looked up at his partner and with a sense of innocence, stated. "You must have been an acrobat in a prior life."

"A what?"

"An acrobat. Haven't you ever been to a circus?" Jeff asked curiously.

"What's a circus?"

Jeff nodded his head and let out a deep sigh. "Never mind Bogg… Never mind."

Bogg shimmied down the trunk of the tree to the area where his partner was and sat down in a fork.

"C'mon kid. That's not fair." Bogg said emphatically. "There are many things in your world that I have yet to experience. How will I know what I'm missing if you refuse to tell me? So now, tell me, what is an acrobat and what is this thing you call a circus?"

"Ok Bogg, keep your pants on and I'll tell you!" Jeff quipped as he smiled at his partner.

Bogg looked down at his pants as a look of confusion came over him.

"My pants are on!" Bogg exclaimed. "Why on Earth would I want to take them off, especially as cold as it is here?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Bogg, it's just an expression. Wait! I know exactly what you are going to ask next. What does it mean? Well it means, just wait a minute and I'll tell you."

Bogg was now even more confused. With a blank look on his face, he sat there for a time, stunned by it all. Suddenly, it finally hit him that another opportunity to tease his partner had boldly presented itself. Once again the little devil inside of him took control and started to work his mischief through him. He put his hand up to his mouth, turned aside and coughed in an attempt to hold back his laughter. Upon regaining his composure, he turned to Jeff and began to speak.

"Why should I wait a minute for you to tell me what the expression means?" He asked naively. "I want to know right now!"

Jeff, a bit perplexed by his partner's question, asked, "WHAT?"

Bogg repeated the question. "I said. Why should I wait a minute for you to tell me what the expression means? I want to know now!"

"I didn't mean I wanted you to wait a minute before I'd tell you what it meant." Jeff bellowed, being somewhat annoyed.

"That's what you said!" Bogg argued.

"I know that's what I said, but that's not what I meant."

"Well, what did you mean then?" Bogg asked

Jeff had quickly reached the breaking point. "BOGG!!!!" He exclaimed.

Bogg burst into laughter. "I know what you meant kid. I'm sorry, but you presented that opportunity to me on a silver platter and I just couldn't resist." He said as he tried to regain his composure.

"Funny Bogg, very funny. How many is that now? A hundred or maybe two hundred? I'm really surprised you aren't keeping score.

"I've never kept score, kid." Bogg said boldly. "Maybe I should start, though."

"You just remember… you've got it coming to you, especially when you least expect it." Jeff warned as he donned a mischievous smile.

Bogg playfully punched his partner on the arm in retaliation. "Ok Jeff, for the hundredth or could it be… two hundredth time, I'm sorry. Now go ahead with your explanation."

"Ok. A circus is a form of entertainment where animals perform and show off the tricks they have learned. Also, there are people involved and they perform stunts with the animals and on their own. Some of these people are called acrobats, since they swing from ropes high in the air and do flips and catch each other."

"Sounds like a lot of fun." Bogg said with a sense of wonder in his voice. "I think I'd like to try some of those 'acrobat stunts'"

"Maybe we can go see one sometime." Jeff said.

"That sounds like a great idea. But first, the pilgrims and Philadelphia!"

As they sat there, a cold arctic wind began to blow past them, chilling Jeff to the bone.

"Bogg, it's soooooooo cold here." Jeff said as he began to shiver.

Bogg took off his dublet and wrapped it around his companion. "Here, this should keep you warm."

"But what about you?" Jeff asked. "You'll freeze to death without a coat on."

"Kid, I've been in colder spots than this…I'm used to it."

Bogg pulled out the omni, opened it and saw a green light.

"Well, we have a green light." Bogg said matter-of-factly. "I guess it's just as well...because… Look! Over there! A ship!" Bogg pointed out to sea. "And it's coming this way."

"It's the Mayflower, Bogg! They made it!" Jeff yelled excitedly.

As the ship made its way closer to shore, Bogg decided to climb down and observe the event from behind a bush.

"You stay put, ok. I'm going down there to get a better look."

Bogg climbed down from the tree and quickly hid behind some nearby bushes. As he peered from behind his cover, he watched the ship make its way ever closer to shore until it finally dropped anchor a few hundred yards away. As the two continued to observe from their unique vantage points, a small boat with several passengers aboard was launched.

"Hey look! They are coming ashore!" Jeff yelled.

Startled by Jeff's yelling, Bogg glanced up at this partner out the corner of his eye and whispered, "Yea I see it kid. Shhhh! Keep your voice down. We don't want them to know we are here, ok?"

Minutes later after the craft had come ashore; the passengers disembarked and made their way onto dry land.

As the two continued to observe the events unfolding on the beach in front of them, the Pilgrims had begun to spread out and explore the territory. Upon making their way closer to them, Bogg and Jeff were now able hear their conversations quite clearly. At this point, Bogg looked up at his partner, motioned to him once again to keep silent and then turned his attention back to the pilgrims as they drew ever closer to their location.

Unbeknownst to Bogg, Jeff's view of the Pilgrims had become obscured. Not wanting to miss out on anything, he decided to find another vantage point from which to view the events. As he looked around the immediate area where he was perched, he spotted a branch not too far below him with an unobstructed view. Not wasting any time, he climbed down the trunk and came to a shaky stop upon it. After pausing for a moment to regain his balance and catch his breath, he sat down and began to slowly slide out onto it. Inching his way further and further out onto the branch, little did he realize it had begun to weaken due to the ever-increasing weight he was now placing upon it.

Suddenly, the loud sounds of wood splitting broke the silence of the area. Bogg, startled by the noise, turned away from the events to investigate. He looked at the tree and noticed his partner was currently sitting halfway out on a branch. As the sound continued and increased in intensity, he knew his partner was in big trouble. He began to wave his hands in the air in an attempt to get Jeff's attention.

After noticing his partner's incessant waving, Jeff looked at Bogg and whispered, "What?"

Bogg waved at his partner and whispered, "Go Back! Kid! GO BACK!"

Unfortunately for Bogg, all of his efforts to help Jeff were pointless as it was already too late to save his young partner from his fate. As he continued to watch the event unfold, he put his hand over his mouth and began to shake his head in disbelief. Just as he had expected, the branch finally collapsed. Bogg closed his eyes and winced as both it and Jeff fell to the ground.

After a few moments, Bogg again opened his eyes. Upon seeing his partner peering out from a large clump of bushes, he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized no harm had come to him.

"Are you ok?" Bogg whispered.

"Yea, nothing's broken." Jeff responded in a whisper.

Bogg turned to look at the pilgrims on the shore. One of them had heard all the noise and decided to walk over and investigate.

"Jeff, be very quiet and don't move! Someone's coming!" Bogg whispered.

"I thought I heard some noise over here." The first pilgrim said in a curious manner.

"It was probably just an animal." The second pilgrim explained.

The first pilgrim turned away from his colleague. "I think I'll walk over and investigate."

The pilgrim walked over to edge of the woods where Bogg and Jeff were in hiding. He commenced to examine the area with a fine-toothed comb, hoping to discover what had created the noise. After a while, he came upon the mound of brush where Jeff had fallen. Even though he couldn't see the young voyager, he was able to spot the broken limb lying on the ground. Finding nothing else out of the ordinary and his curiosity now satisfied, he turned and walked back to his comrades.

"Did you find anything?" The second pilgrim asked.

"Only a large limb, obviously broken off from the force of the wind" The first pilgrim stated. He continued to walk back to the area where the remainder of the group stood.

Once the coast was clear, Bogg stood up, walked over to Jeff and lifted him gently off the ground.

"You are ok, aren't you?" Bogg asked as he was still concerned about his partner's fall.

"I'm ok. Just a few bumps and bruises."

"Luckily for you there were some bushes under that limb to help break your fall." He said. "Are you able to walk?"

"Yea, but you'll need to put me down first." Jeff replied as he smiled at his partner.

"I know your ok now." Bogg teased. "Your sense of humor is back."

Bogg put his partner down onto his feet, kneeled in front of him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Jeff, if you had gotten hurt, I just don't know what I would have done." Bogg said with a concerned tone.

"Bogg, I'm ok, really."

After a moment's embrace, Bogg put both hands on Jeff's shoulders and pushed him away to a point where they were now face to face. Bogg's disposition had suddenly changed from that of a concerned partner to an angry parent. He raised his hand and pointed to Jeff

"Kid, what do you think you were you doing?" Bogg asked sternly.

"I was just trying to get a better view."

"Didn't I tell you to stay put?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, but…"

"No buts. I told you to stay put." Bogg yelled in a whisper. "A little bit more and you could have been seriously hurt or even killed."

"But Bogg…"

"I told you, kid. NO BUTS! I want YOU…to listen…TO ME…for once."

"Kid, when I tell you to do something, I expect for you to do it. You may think I'm being difficult or even hard on you, but I assure you, that is far from the truth."

"I know Bogg…" Jeff replied with a look of remorse in his eyes.

"Kid, is any of this sinking in? When I tell you to stay put, or to stop, or to do something else, I'm doing so with your best interest in mind. When you ignore me and do things on your own, you are putting yourself in harm's way. The only thing I care about is you and your safety. Besides, I would never forgive myself if you got hurt."

Bogg continued his lecture with full force. "You know, based on this and other similar occurrences, it seems as though you are not willing to listen to me or to abide by my rules. If that is the case, it's a sure sign I won't be able to count on you when I need you most."

"Bogg you can always count on me." Jeff quipped. "I would never do anything to intentionally mess things up or to jeopardize the mission."

"You have to realize our partnership is built on trust." Bogg said pointedly. "If you won't trust my judgment in matters such as these, then I truly cannot count on you. And if I can't count on you, then I don't need you as a partner!"

Bogg paused a moment to catch his breath and then continued. "Maybe it's time to start flying solo. I can just as easily go back to VHQ, borrow an omni and return you back to 1982."

Jeff stood there almost in tears as his partner continued to administer his 'tongue-lashing'.

"No…Bogg! Please!" Jeff whined. "Don't say that!"

"And why shouldn't I?" Bogg quipped.

Jeff attempted to find a suitable excuse for his actions; however, Bogg wasn't buying it. "Bogg…It was an accident and accidents do happen." Jeff explained.

"I didn't imply for one moment that it was anything else. But, did you ever stop to think that maybe that branch wasn't strong enough to carry your weight…BE…FORE you decided to slide out onto it?"

"No Bogg, I guess I didn't." Jeff said in a downtrodden tone.

"No Jeff, you didn't! Just like you didn't think to listen to me when I told you to stay put."

"Kid. We've been together for what…some 2 years now. We have been on lots of missions and have fixed many problems with history. After all this, I'd have thought by now you would have realized the consequences of our actions, both good and bad. It only takes one bad decision to really mess things up, possibly for good."

"Bogg. I'm really, truly sorry." Jeff said humbly.

"You had better be!" Bogg warned.

Jeff stood there silent and still; his eyes wide open and fixed upon his partner. His expression could best be described as that of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

Jeff bowed his head. He now felt this one incident has sealed his fate. "You are not going to take me back, are you?" He asked nervously.

Bogg, shaken up by Jeff's accident and exhausted from his long oratorio wanted to put an end to this situation once and for all. He knew he needed to drive this point home to his young companion. While Jeff stood there, awaiting a response from his partner, a somewhat indecisive look came over Bogg's face. Without saying a word, he quickly pulled the omni from his belt, flipped it open and began to turn the dials.

Jeff swallowed hard and with a trembling hand, reached over and closed the lid on the omni.

"Please Bogg, don't do it!" Jeff exclaimed. "Please don't take me back! I promise I'll never do it again."

Bogg continued his period of silence. He knew Jeff had got the message. He clipped the omni back onto his belt, looked up at his partner and began to smile. At this point, he broke his long period of silence and replied. "Take you back? I really don't think so kid. Besides, flying solo is no fun."

Jeff let out a huge sigh of relief and smiled as he put his arms around Bogg. Likewise, Bogg did the same.

"Ok…kid…ok." Bogg reassured. "But you remember this. If you EV-ER do something to scare me like that again…I'll…I'll…Well, I don't know what I'll do, but I assure you, it won't be pretty."

"I won't Bogg, honest, I won't." Jeff assured his partner.

"Kid, I believe you have learned your lesson. I hope you never put me in a position where I have to do that again."

Jeff realized that he had just been given a good loving dose of discipline from his partner. He could tell by the expression on Bogg's face how hard it was to take him to task. With his chin on Bogg's shoulder, he whispered in his partner's ear. "I have Bogg. I guess I've had that coming for a while now."

Bogg released his grip on him, looked him square in the eye and said in a reassuring tone. "Just remember, I will always love you and be there for you no matter what." Now come on, let's get behind some cover and plan our next move." He stood up, put his arm around his partner and the two slowly and silently walked over and sat down behind some bushes.

Bogg opened the omni again, reset the dials and noticed the green light was still flashing.

"Well looks like the pilgrims made it here. So, what do we do now?" Bogg asked.

"You know, maybe the problem lies further into the future." Jeff said pointedly. "As I recall from history, the pilgrims barely survived through the rough winter months after they landed, but they did survive. The next ground-breaking event that occurred was their first encounter with a native of the new world. As I recall his name was Samoset."

"Samoset?" Bogg asked. "I hope he was civilized, unlike the one we encountered on the beach during our last mission."

"Yes. Samoset was different. After Columbus discovered the new world, there were many others who came to explore this area. Samoset met many of these Englishmen and learned much from them as well as the ability to speak their language. It is a common fact that he could speak pretty good English."

"According to history, while the Pilgrims completed the building of their settlement here, Samoset was sent by the leader of the Wampanoag tribe to make first contact with the Pilgrims. It was Samoset, who, after making first contact, brought another native, Squanto into the settlement and introduced him to the Pilgrims. Squanto helped the Pilgrims by teaching them how to plant their crops so they would do well in the foreign soil. He also taught them fishing and hunting techniques and showed their children which nuts and berries they could gather to eat."

Once again amazed by his partner's knowledge, he whispered to him, "Wow kid! Is there anything you left out?"

"No, that's pretty much a summary of what happened." Jeff replied.

"That sounded pretty detailed to me."

"You know Bogg, I wonder if something happened during their first contact."

"You may be right kid, why don't we go and as you would say 'check it out'"

"Ok, I'm ready." Jeff said exuberantly as took hold of Bogg's arm and held it tightly.

Bogg sat there with a puzzled look on his face, with the omni still open in his hand. "Uh…have you forgotten something?" He quipped.

"What?" Jeff asked innocently.

"How 'bout a place and a date?" Bogg replied.

"I thought you just might know this one." Jeff teased.

"You're a barrel of laughs, kid." Bogg said. He looked at his partner with a raised brow and spoke in a serious tone. "Enough of the funny business, kid. I need a place and a date."

"The place is still Plymouth, Massachusetts, but the date is…umm…March 17, 1621."

Bogg set the omni and pushed the button.


	6. An Unexpected Twist

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 6 – AN UNEXPECTED TWIST**

Bogg and Jeff vanished from their observation post and began their journey forward to the time of first contact. As they traveled through the void of space and observed the waves of time that passed by, little did they realize just what lie in store for them at their next landing. After what seemed like mere seconds, the two voyagers arrived back at Plymouth Rock, not too far from the area where they had originally departed; only this time it was four months later. They fell through the time portal and landed in an outcrop of bushes just outside the settlement.

"Bogg!!! I could sure use some help here!." Jeff yelled as he lay upside down inside a bush.

"Hold on kid, I'm coming." Bogg yelled.

Bogg grabbed hold of a nearby tree and pulled himself to an upright position. Once upright, he ran over to his partner and attempted to extract him from the bush that had all but swallowed him up.

"Thanks, Bogg!"

"Don't mention it, kid!"

Bogg flipped open the omni. "Red light! Hmmmm! Looks like we've found the problem."

Jeff did not respond. He had a concerned look on his face as he began to look around, observing the area outside the settlement.

"Hey! Kid! Did you hear me?" Bogg repeated once more.

"SHHHHH! Bogg! Listen!" Jeff urged.

A few moments passed. Bogg finally spoke up.

"What? I don't hear anything."

"That's just it Bogg! Nothing! Don't you hear it? Nothing but silence! No birds, no people talking, no animals, no hammering, nothing!"

Bogg stood there, speechless. He began to survey the area. As he glanced toward the settlement, he noticed a small amount of smoke creeping up from behind the fence surrounding it.

"Look Jeff! Smoke! C'mon, kid, let's investigate."

Jeff reached out and grabbed Bogg's arm as he started to walk toward the settlement.

"What's wrong?"

"Bogg, I…" Jeff said with a concerned look.

Bogg turned and kneeled in front of his partner.

"I can tell by the look on your face, something's wrong. C'mon, spill it!"

"Bogg, something's really not right here and I'm scared." Jeff whispered nervously.

"Kid. I have an uneasy feeling about it, too. You know, we've been through scarier situations than this. We'll be ok. I promise."

Jeff put on a fake smile in response to his partner.

"We have to put our fear behind us and continue with the mission." Bogg said as he stood up and put his arm around his partner. "C'mon. Let's get going."

The two walked toward the settlement and then proceeded into the area. Upon passing through the outer gates, they were met by an overpowering stench which could best be described as the pungent smell of death. The two, gagging at the horrendous smell and gasping for air, stopped in their tracks. Bogg reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Jeff.

"Here, kid. Put his over your face."

'Thanks. But what about you." Jeff asked.

"I'll be ok." Bogg reassured as he put the sleeve of his shirt over his nose and mouth. "C'mon let's see what's happened here. Whatever you do, stay close to me."

"Oh don't you worry; I'll be as close to you as your shadow." Jeff replied.

Bogg began to proceed further into the settlement. Jeff was by his side with his arm locked firmly around his waist. After taking a few labored steps, Bogg stopped. At this point, Jeff had such a grip on him that he could scarcely move.

"Kid!"

"Yea Bogg."

"I know I told you to stay close, but, you have such a bear hug on me that I can scarcely walk. Can you loosen your grip just a bit?" Bogg asked as he smiled and winked at Jeff.

"Oh, sorry Bogg."

The two continued cautiously into the settlement. All of a sudden, their worst fears had now been confirmed. Ahead of them, there were bodies of pilgrims strewn all over the area. Some had arrows sticking out of them, while others had multiple knife wounds to their torsos.

"BOGG!" Jeff yelled as he buried his face in his partner's side.

Bogg knelt down and put his arms around his partner. Jeff had seen people killed before on many of their past voyages, however, Bogg knew he had never seen anything quite as gruesome as this.

"My God! They have all been killed!" Jeff yelled as tears streamed from his eyes.

"Kid, I know. It's a massacre."

"How can we set this right, Bogg?" Jeff exclaimed. "They are all dead!"

Bogg turned his partner away from the carnage and attempted to calm and reassure him. "Hey, Jeff, hear me out." He whispered.

"Remember, this is not the way it happened." Bogg whispered softly. "These good people are not supposed to die. That's why we are here. It's our job to figure out what occurred here and correct this problem."

Bogg took hold of his partner's chin and raised it. "Jeff, look at me. I know exactly what you are feeling now. It's never easy to come across something as gruesome as a scene like this, an all out massacre. Believe it or not, I felt the same way as you do the first time I encountered one."

Jeff looked at Bogg with a hint of a smile and dried his eyes. "You did?"

"Yep and I was shocked…no…more like stunned to the point that I… I…" Bogg stumbled on the words as he attempted to finish his sentence.

"What did you do, Bogg?"

Bogg had a faint trace of crimson in his cheeks as he attempted to bring himself to confess his actions to his partner.

"I…I…fainted."

"You what??? You fainted."

"Yep…Hit the ground with a thud, too." Bogg boasted with a smile and a chuckle.

"The next thing I remember was being awakened by a traveler who was passing through the area. "

Jeff began to calm down a bit and continued to listen to his partner.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's ok to be shocked and upset when you encounter a situation like this. However, you have to keep your wits about you; otherwise you may end up in the same situation as these poor folks. Believe me you won't do them any good if you end up like them."

"I'm sorry Bogg." Jeff said shamefully.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry or ashamed about." Bogg reassured his partner. There's one more piece of wisdom I need to pass along to you at this point. I hope that what I'm about to say will not discourage you from being a Voyager."

Jeff looked at his partner and with the sound of determination in his voice, replied, "Nothing could stop me from being a Voyager!"

"Unfortunately, this is just one of many uncomfortable, heart-wrenching and gruesome situations you will encounter as you carry out your responsibilities as a Voyager. The one thing you must remember is; you're there to set things right and you can't do so unless you keep a clear head on your shoulders. As you continue to grow and gain experience from each mission, you will eventually learn how to temporarily detach yourself from your emotions."

"I understand."

"Ok, that's enough wisdom for one day kid. It's decision time and the decision is up to you. We can continue, if you are up to it or we can stop right here." Bogg said. "The ball's in your court."

Jeff who was still felt uneasy about their circumstances attempted to come up with a compromise.

"Why don't you continue exploring and I'll stay right here and wait for you." Jeff suggested.

"Nope." Bogg said vehemently. "That was not one of the options. Besides, I won't put you at risk by leaving you here alone. We don't yet know all of the details of what happened here. Whoever killed these people could still be lurking around."

"I know Bogg…but…" Jeff said nervously.

"Either we continue together or we stay here. That's the choice." Bogg said

Jeff stood there with his head down. His fears were now churning inside of him like giant tidal waves crashing against the cliffs.

"Ohhhhh…oh…ok. I'm ready." Jeff said as his voice quivered. "I guess there couldn't be anything worse than this from this point forward."

"Now that's the brave kid I know. You know, overcoming your fears to see this mission through to the end. I'm proud of you, Jeff and admire you for your courage."

"Thanks." Jeff replied. "I think?"

"Come on, let's get going. And stay close to me, ok?"

The two Voyagers continued their walk into the area. As they made their way deeper and deeper into the settlement, the number of victims increased exponentially. One by one they stopped and examined the bodies for evidence that would explain what happened.

"Look Bogg! Arrows!", Jeff said as he pointed to several arrows which were lying on the ground.

"Yep, looks like the work of natives." Bogg acknowledged. "Kid, have you noticed the victims?"

"Well, I've tried not to…it's so gruesome, but, yes. They are all men. Where are all the women and children?" Jeff asked.

"I suspect they have been taken prisoner."

The two stopped for a moment to survey the area for more clues.

"Well, from the looks of things, there's obviously no one left alive here." Bogg said curiously. "I'd say their first contact didn't go quite so smoothly."

"Hey, kid! Look over there!" Bogg exclaimed as he pointed to one of the bodies off in the distance. "That one looks interesting. Let's take a look."

The two walked some ten feet from their last position and discovered the body of a dead native lying on the ground.

"It's an Indian!" Jeff confirmed. "He must be Samoset."

Bogg kneeled down and began to examine the victim. He pushed back the native's leather vest to expose a gunshot wound.

"Kid, he's been shot with a gun." Bogg whispered. "I wonder why they shot him. It's obvious he wasn't carrying any weapons."

"Hmmmm…Another piece of the puzzle." Jeff said as he rubbed his chin much like another Sherlock Holmes. "We now know what happened, but, what was the motive."

"Ok. What about this?" Bogg said as he put together a theory. "This native, Samoset, came to the settlement and for some unknown reason the pilgrims felt threatened, so they shot and killed him. His family found out and then retaliated."

"His family?" Jeff questioned. "C'mon Bogg. From the looks of things here, it was more like his entire tribe."

"I wondered when you would catch on." Bogg said as he winked at his partner.

Bogg stood up with his hands on his hips, looking down at the native. "The question now is as you said, 'What's the motive?' specifically, what was it that caused the pilgrims to feel threatened by this man?"

In the distance, a faint sound of a voice could be heard.

"Bogg?" Jeff asked nervously. "Wha…what was that?"

"Sounded like someone's voice." Bogg confirmed.

"Ohhhhhhhhh!!!! Help me!!!!" A voice cried out from the distance.

Bogg pointed off to their right. "Sounds like it came from over there. C'mon."

After walking several paces, they came upon a wounded pilgrim, propped up against the exterior wall of a building.

"Bogg, he's alive!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Yeah, just barely though. Kid, take that handkerchief I gave you and go wet it in that rain barrel over there." Bogg said as he kneeled down beside the pilgrim.

"Who are you?" The pilgrim asked with a weak voice. "Are you friend or foe?"

"We're friends and we're here to help." Bogg reassured. "Shhhhh! Conserve your strength."

Jeff arrived with the wet handkerchief and handed it to his partner, who in turn wiped the man's face and brow.

Bogg began to assess the pilgrim's wounds in an attempt to render some first aid. During this time, he noticed a large amount of blood oozing from underneath the victims' overcoat. Realizing he had little time to lose, he slowly folded back the front of the coat only to discover a large knife wound in pilgrim's abdomen, which was bleeding profusely. Quickly, Bogg tore off a piece of the pilgrim's sleeve, wadded it up and put it on the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. It was now apparent to Bogg; the pilgrim would not have much longer to live. He grimaced and began to shake his head in disbelief.

Jeff glanced at his partner; his facial expression alone asked the obvious question, 'Is he going to live?' Bogg looked up at Jeff and with a solemn look began to nod negatively.

Bogg again looked down at the man. Knowing this was their one and only chance to find out exactly what happened to cause an event of this magnitude, he began to question him.

"Sir?" Bogg asked with a somewhat low tone. "Can you tell us what happened here?"

The pilgrim coughed violently. Once he caught his breath, he began to tell his story. "Listen, you have been most kind to me. I fear I have little time left so I must be quick."

"Yesterday. We were going about our normal activities here when this native walked into our settlement." The pilgrim said and then began to cough again.

Bogg wiped his face and the pilgrim continued his story.

"Word spread like fire through the settlement and we all gathered together in front of the native. Everyone was surprised, yet relatively calm for several moments." The pilgrim paused for a moment and gasped for air.

"Suddenly he began to speak. English! He spoke in English!" The pilgrim exclaimed. "One woman began to scream."

The pilgrim paused once again; his breathing had now become more labored.

"Where was I?" The pilgrim said as he continued his story. "Our military advisor, Standish, heard the scream. He came running with his musket."

The pilgrim began to cough again, much more violently than the last time. Bogg reached over and comforted him.

"I'm ok. I must make hast though." He said as he eased his blood soaked body back against the structure.

"Standish saw the native standing there and out of instinct, raised his musket and shot him."

"Somehow his tribe discovered what happened. They invaded the settlement later that day. Took the women and children and killed the rest."

The pilgrim stopped and took a couple of labored breaths. He sat silently for a moment before taking one last breath. His eyes rolled back and his head dropped to one side.

Bogg put his hand on the pilgrim's shoulder and whispered softly to him. "My good fellow, you have left this world long before your time and we're here to correct that. For now, enjoy your rest. You deserve it. You will be back on your feet again shortly."

Bogg stood up and looked at Jeff. "Well, we now know the story here, so it's up to us to prevent this from happening. We need to go back and put a stop to this once and for all."

"I'm ready when you are." Jeff said anxiously.

Bogg opened the omni, turned the dials to March 16, 1621 and looked over at Jeff.

"Ready?"

Jeff grabbed his partner's arm. "Let's do it!" He said.

Bogg pressed the button and they disappeared.


	7. First Contact

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 7 – FIRST CONTACT**

It was early morning. The sun had begun to inch its way slowly up over the horizon. There was a nip of cold in the air, as a calm breeze caressed the area. Life at the settlement was proceeding normally. Many of the pilgrims had risen early and were already hard at work with their daily chores.

Outside the settlement, an unexpected and somewhat unpleasant reunion was about to take place. Bogg and Jeff once again arrived at Plymouth and came to a landing in the same oak tree where they had landed previously.

"What's going on here?" Jeff asked.

"What now kid?" Bogg teased.

"Hey. Don't you remember? This is the same tree we landed in before. "

Bogg had an epiphany. "Oooooh yeah. It IS the same tree. At least this time I'm not swinging from it like a monkey."

"You have to admit, it was kinda funny, Bogg." Jeff teased.

"Not half as funny as the look on your face when that branch gave way." Bogg said with a chuckle.

"Bogg!!"

"C'mon, kid. We've got work to do."

The two began to climb down out of the tree. Upon reaching the ground, they dusted themselves off and paused a moment while Bogg checked the omni.

"Plymouth, Massachusetts. March 16, 1621. We made it and we have a red light."

"I wonder when Samoset will arrive." Jeff asked curiously.

"I don't know kid. I guess we will just have to wait for him." Bogg said. "C'mon, let's go inside."

As the two walked into the settlement, one of the pilgrims, who was attempting to remove a broken wheel on his wagon tried to get their attention.

"Excuse me, gentlemen?" The pilgrim asked. "I would be ever so grateful if you would assist me in my undertaking here."

"What seems to be the trouble?" Bogg asked as he and Jeff walked toward the pilgrim.

"I need to take this wheel over to the 'smith to have it repaired, but, I am having some difficulty removing it. Could the two of you give me a hand?" He asked.

"Sure. My partner and I would be happy to assist you. Right kid?"

"Yea, sure. We've got plenty of time." Jeff concurred.

"As I said, I have been trying to remove this wheel, but it seems to be stuck somehow."

Bogg stood there for a moment and analyzed the situation in his mind.

"I see the problem!" Jeff exclaimed. "That chunk of wood you have underneath the wagon not tall enough to raise the wheel off the ground. If we could just raise the wagon up just a little bit more. "

"Good job kid!" Bogg replied. He turned his attention to the pilgrim.

"Sir, if you will get that block of wood over there, Jeff and I will lift this side of the wagon while you place it on top of the chunk that's already there. That should be just enough to allow us to remove the wheel."

The pilgrim walked over and picked up a piece of wood from the ground as Bogg and Jeff began lifting the wagon.

"Bogg this is heavy!" Jeff moaned as he strained to lift the wagon.

"You're not kidding." Bogg quipped as he strained under the weight.

The pilgrim crawled under the wagon and positioned the block of wood. Once he had emerged, he brushed the dust from his clothes and stood beside the two Voyagers.

"You can stop with your lifting now." The pilgrim said.

The two lowered the wagon. Bogg reached over and gave the wheel a good turn. It now spun freely on its axle.

"Here Jeff, give me a hand with this?" Bogg asked. "I'll grab this side, if you will get the other."

"Now, kid. Pull!"

With a small amount of effort, the wheel broke loose from its axle. Bogg rolled it over and leaned it against the wagon.

"Thank you kind gentlemen for your help. I can now take this…" Before he could finish his sentence, another pilgrim ran over and interrupted him.

"Governor Carver!" The pilgrim exclaimed in an obvious state of shock. "Please excuse me sirs, but I must talk to the Governor."

"Please calm yourself, sir, and tell me what has troubled you so." Governor Carver replied.

Jeff pecked Bogg on the arm and whispered. "Bogg…that must be John Carver."

"Who's he?" Bogg asked in a whisper.

"John Carver. He was the first Governor of the Plymouth settlement." Jeff replied.

"Oh, ok. So he's the big cheese?" Bogg asked.

"Yep, you could say that." Jeff replied wryly.

The pilgrim, visibly shaken by what he had seen, paused for a moment to regain his composure. Once he had caught his breath, he began to explain the situation.

"One of the natives has just appeared inside the settlement! You must come quickly, sir."

The pilgrim took off running with Governor Carver not too far behind.

Bogg looked at the Governor and yelled. "Hey, wait for us!" He turned to his partner and said, "C'mon kid. This is it!"

The two sprinted off in an attempt to catch up with the Governor. Moments later, they arrived at the area where the native now stood. A crowd of Pilgrims had gathered in front of him.

"Bogg! Look! There he is! It's Samoset."

"I see him. You stay here. I'm going to try and get closer to him."

"Be careful Bogg!"

Bogg maneuvered his way cautiously through the crowd. Finally, he reached a point where he was within a few steps of the native.

Samoset began to speak. "Welcome, Englishmen." He said as he raised his right hand in a gesture of friendship.

Suddenly, the crowd burst into a state of panic. One of the women began to scream.

During this time, Jeff had decided to climb atop of a nearby wagon to get a better view. As he stood there he noticed another pilgrim, who was armed and running toward the group.

Jeff yelled out to his partner. "Bogg! Look! Behind you! It's Standish!"

Bogg turned and saw the pilgrim's military leader Miles Standish, musket in hand, closing in fast.

"Bats-Breath!" Bogg muttered to himself.

Standish made his way through the crowd to the front of the group and quickly raised his musket to fire at the native. In a valiant move, Bogg dived toward Samoset and tackled him to the ground just as Standish fired.

Once the commotion was over, Governor Carver yelled out to his comrade. "Standish, put down your weapon!" Turning back to face the group of pilgrims who were observing the event, he began to reassure them. "My good people. Please calm yourselves. We are in no danger here. This native is unarmed."

Standish lowered his musket and stood there, silent, observing the situation.

Bogg picked himself up off the ground, turned and extended a helping hand to Samoset. Once Samoset was on his feet, he looked at Bogg and said, "Thank you sir. You saved my life."

Governor Carver came over to greet the native. "Sir, my name is John Carver. I am the Governor of this settlement. I hope you will forgive us for this most uncivilized welcome."

"I am Samoset." The native replied. "I was sent to make contact with your people."

"You speak very good English for a native, Samoset." Governor Carver said.

"I was taught by trappers and explorers who came to this area."

The Governor looked over at Bogg with a look of gratitude in his eyes.

"Sir, I believe you have me at a disadvantage. What is your name?"

"Bogg, sir. Phineas Bogg."

Jeff came running up to his partner and put his arm around him.

"Sir." Bogg said. "This is my son, Jeffrey."

"I want to thank the two of you for helping me with that stubborn wagon wheel. I really do appreciate it. And to you Mr. Bogg, thank you ever so much for your extraordinary efforts here today. If it had not been for your quick thinking, this situation would have ended in quite a different way. With an innocent man being killed."

Bogg replied. "It was all for the good of the settlement."

"Well, thank you again for your efforts."

The Governor quickly turned his attention back to the native. "Sir, please allow us the opportunity to make up for our indiscretions by offering you something to eat and drink. Come, let's go inside."

As the Governor and Samoset walked away, Bogg grabbed the omni from his belt and opened it.

"Well, we did it kid. Samoset is alive, the settlement is safe and we have that ever beautiful green light!"

"Whew, that was close!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Oh, and by the way, I thought I told you to stay put."

Jeff lowered his head. He knew Bogg was about to let him have it once again for disobeying him.

"Uh…Oh that…Uh, well…Uh." Jeff said as he attempted to come up with an appropriate explanation for climbing atop the wagon.

Bogg laughed. "Forget it kid. If you hadn't climbed on top of that wagon, we would have never saved Samoset. Good thinking!."

Jeff wiped his brow. "Whew! That was close."

"What do you mean?"

"I figured you were about to give it to me again and as you said before, 'it wouldn't be pretty'" Jeff said wryly.

"Smart kids give me such a pain." Bogg mumbled to himself. "I'm gonna give it to you alright! Come here!" He yelled as he grinned and shook his fist at his partner in a playful manner.

"Oh no! You'll have to catch me first." Jeff taunted as he took off running out of the settlement.

Bogg raised his hands and shugged his shoulders. "Hey, no problem! You're mine when I catch you." In an instant he sprinted off after his partner.

Minutes later, Bogg caught up with Jeff, who by this time had made it back to the oak tree where they had first landed. Tired and out of breath, he had sat down and leaned against it to rest. Bogg sat down beside him and began to tease him unmercifully.

"Well kid, are you ready for your just desserts?" Bogg asked as he gasped for air.

"Yea, like you are able to do anything after that long run. You're tired, out of breath and weak. What can you do to me now?" Jeff taunted.

"I'll show you what I can do!" Bogg exclaimed. Without warning, he stood up, picked up Jeff and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of grain."

"Hey, put me down!" Jeff yelled.

"Nope, you need some cooling off. And I know just the place. As I recall, the bay is located somewhere around here. And the water is just the right temperature…COLD!"

"You're just trying to scare me. You are not really going to throw me into the bay, are you?" Jeff asked with a quiver in his voice.

"Wanna bet?" Bogg quipped..

"C'mon Bogg! The joke's over." Jeff taunted. "Now put me down!"

Bogg continued walking toward the shoreline.

"Bogg! This is so not funny." Jeff said with a tone of uncertainty.

Bogg continued with his usual uncompromising wit. "Hey kid, I hear that a cold bath is a good for you."

"Don't do it Bogg!"

As Bogg reached the edge of the water, he quickly grabbed the omni, which he had already set for their next journey and pressed the button.


	8. A Declaration In Jeopardy

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 8 – A DECLARATION IN JEOPARDY**

"Mr. President! I must object!"

"Not again Mr. Adams. What is it this time?"

"In response to the delegate from North Carolina, I respectfully submit that if you strike the aforementioned words from the paragraph in question, it will become vague and its meaning unclear. Wouldn't you agree Mr. Jefferson?" Adams said boldly.

"Respectfully, Mr. Adams. I believe the paragraph could be re-written, allowing for the omission of those words and still retain its integrity. Mr. President, I have no problem making that correction." Jefferson replied undaunted by the demands of the group.

"Mr. Jefferson!" Adams yelled as he jumped to his feet. "This is the eighth correction you have agreed to so far today, and we haven't even completed half the reading yet. Why ARE YOU allowing the strength of this document to be slowly whittled away?"

Jefferson stood behind the podium, silent, contemplating an answer that would appease his long-time friend and colleague. Adams walked out from behind his desk and made his way toward the front of the assembly.

"My learned colleagues." Adams spoke with one hand on his hip and the other outstretched in front of him. "We have spent the good part of this month developing this Declaration of our independence. It is a document that describes in detail the outright tyranny being imposed upon these thirteen colonies and conveys in no uncertain terms our intent to be free and independent states. Now, after some three hours of sitting here, listening to the lot of you nit-pick each and every word, I have come to one obvious conclusion. If we continue on our current path, we might as well write a love letter to old King George and ask him 'When is the wedding?'" Adams walked back to his desk and sat down.

At this point, some of the delegates began to laugh. Dr. Franklin injected some of his rather bawdy wit into the conversation.

"Yes, and we all know what happens after the wedding…THE HONEYMOON!" Franklin said with a laugh. Suddenly the entire room burst into laughter.

Hancock pounded his gavel. "May we have order, please!"

After the group calmed down, Hancock redirected the delegates back to the business of the day. "If there are no objections, shall we continue with the reading?"

Upon sensing no objections, he turned to Jefferson and said, "Please continue, Mr. Jefferson."

Jefferson continued his reading. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"

While Jefferson had his audience held captive inside, outside, Bogg and Jeff had come to the end of another journey. As usual, they came to a hard landing near the steps of Independence Hall.

"Owww! Where's that haystack when you need it?" Bogg said as he stood up and rubbed his backside.

"I don't know, but we sure could have used it on this landing. This ground is hard as concrete." Jeff replied.

Jeff stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.

"Bogg, look! Behind you! It's Independence Hall! We're back in Philadelphia!"

Bogg turned to have a look. "Well, it's back! Let's see if everything is ok now." He said as he retrieved the omni and opened it.

"What's the date, Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"June 20th, 1776. But, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you kid." Bogg said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Let me guess…another red light!"

"Right the first time, kid!"

As they stood outside, a storm of fury erupted from within the great hall.

"Bogg, listen! Did you hear that?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, sounds like a real battle going on inside."

"Bogg, this is where the first Continental Congress met. They must be in session today. As I recall, the founding fathers would have been discussing the first draft of the Declaration of Independence."

"Discussing??? If what we just heard is any indication, I would say they are sluggin' it out." Bogg said wryly.

"C'mon! Let's go inside and see what's going on." Jeff exclaimed as he ran toward the door.

"Hey, there's no time like the present. Wait for me, kid!"

The two climbed the steps and made their way inside the historic structure. Once inside, they quietly took a seat at the back of the room and began to observe the current discussion.

One of the delegates jumped to his feet and shouted. "Mr. President, I must object once again!"

The room, once quiet and solemn, burst into a state of pandemonium.

Bogg leaned over to Jeff and whispered, "Who's he?"

After striking his gavel on his desk several times, Hancock stood up and exclaimed. "Delegates, please come to order!" After a few moments, the delegates settled down and Hancock continued. "The President recognizes the delegate from Massachusetts."

"That's John Adams. He will eventually become our second President." Jeff whispered.

"Again, I must strongly object to the correction being placed before us. Once more, we are about to diminish the intensity of this document. My fellow delegates. Our good King has stripped us of our rights, our wealth, our crops and our land. Our tea has been taxed, our taxes have been taxed and yet we sit here on its laurels and cannot agree on the wording of the most important document ever to be written. My God! I just cannot fathom this." Adams yelled as he threw his hands into the air.

As the Voyagers continued their observation, Adam's speech had brought the delegates to their feet as the entire room was now in an uproar. Hancock with gavel in hand, once again attempted to call the group to order.

"Shall we come to order!!! DELEGATES! PLEASE COME TO ORDER!" Hancock shouted as he continued pounding his gavel. "DELEGATES, PLEASE, WE HAVE BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO HERE! PLEASE COME TO ORDER AND TAKE YOUR SEATS!"

After several moments of unrest, the entire delegation quieted down and returned to their seats.

"Mr. Adams. If you will please continue." Hancock said, somewhat unnerved by the prospect.

Adams again jumped to his feet and paraded around the room.

"Gentlemen, if we are going to declare our independence from Old King George, our words must be strong and concise. We must show our determination to become a free and independent state and be resolute in our actions. We cannot accomplish this by changing every other word to suit our own interests."

Upon hearing this, the delegates once again showed their objection and became unruly.

Hancock pounded his gavel. "May we please have order here!"

"Mr. President, may I address the room?" Franklin asked, with dignity and poise.

"The President recognizes the delegate from Pennsylvania." Hancock acknowledged.

Franklin stood up. "Mr. President…My learned colleagues. As you well know, I am not one to stand in this chamber and bore you with long oratorios, especially when it's this hot and when my gout is acting up…"

The delegation began to laugh then quieted down just as Hancock started to raise his gavel.

"We have sat here for almost an entire day now and listened to the writings of our colleague, Mr. Jefferson. We have discussed, debated and picked apart each and every syllable of every word he has read thus far. Well, I say 'we', but in actuality, the argument has been between you and Mr. Adams. There has been so many arguments, that God forbid, I believe that Mr. Adams is about to l lose his voice due to laryngitis."

The room burst into laughter as a smile came across Adams' face.

"In so much as I do not always agree with my learned colleague from Massachusetts, I do agree, this document needs to be concise, forceful and straight to the point. However, the more changes we make to it, I feel, the less meaningful it will become."

"Seriously, I believe before we can proceed further, we all need to stop for a moment and re-examine the reasons for our actions thus far. First, we came to this land to seek those freedoms which God has granted unto us all. The freedom to speak freely, the freedom of religion, and the freedom to govern ourselves are just a few of those freedoms we risked our lives for. However, for all our efforts, we now have less and less to show for them. Old King George has put one restriction after another upon us. He has taxed us unfairly, denied us the ability to represent ourselves and put restrictions on or taken away totally the freedoms we came here to seek."

"For months, we as a united group of thirteen colonies have taken one small step after another toward becoming independent. At this point, can we afford not to take this most important next step? Are we ready to declare our independence from Old King George and to foster the birth of a new nation? We must not allow the creation of this document to divide us. We must continue as one united group in our efforts for independence, for if we don't hang together, we most assuredly will hang separately."

Franklin, upon completion of his speech, returned to his seat.

Adams again stood up. "Mr. President, may I address the Congress, once again." He asked.

"Oh well, if you must." Hancock said as he resigned to his fate. "The President once again recognizes Mr. Adams."

"With regard to the writings of our learned colleague, Mr. Jefferson, I must say they were quite good before we began here today. But now, this document, with its never-ending list of corrections has been turned into something that could best be described as a wimpy piece of prose. In light of this, I would like to make a motion that we adjourn this meeting and reconvene again tomorrow afternoon. This will give the committee of five some time to meet and discuss the changes, which have been recommended thus far.

Upon hearing this, a loud rumbling came from the room as the delegates began talking amongst themselves.

"May we have order!!!" Hancock exclaimed.

"Mr. President. May I address the Congress." Jefferson asked.

"Kid, who is he?" Bogg whispered.

"That Bogg…is Thomas Jefferson, the author of Declaration of Independence and our 3rd President. From the expression on his face, I would say things are not going as he had planned." Jeff explained.

"The President recognizes the delegate from Virginia."

"My fellow delegates. I took on the task of creating this document at the request of the committee of five as well as the remainder of the delegates here. I agreed to this since you had determined, I was the one and only person who could put our thoughts and intentions onto parchment. As I stand here today, I must express to you my sincerest apologies, as obviously I have failed to come up with a document that best describes the intentions of all those present. In so much as I am disappointed with mine own work; I too am disappointed in the response I have received from this body. Upon reflection, I have determined the task of writing this Declaration is, according to the events that have occurred here today, a lesson in futility. As a result, it is with great regret that I must now excuse myself from this burden. With regard to Mr. Adams, who has defended my work and voiced objection to most if not all of the changes discussed here, I would like to make a recommendation that he be appointed to complete the writing."

Once Jefferson finished his remarks, he bowed his head and proceeded out of the room.

Adams jumped to his feet. "What? You want ME to complete this document? " Adams exclaimed. "Jefferson! Where are you going? Come back here at once!"

"Home, Mr. Adams. Home!" Jefferson said with a weary tone.

In the great hall, there was silence, as the assembly sat there dumbfounded by what they just heard. Out of respect for their colleague, the delegates stood up as Jefferson walked out the door.

Hancock, in a solemn voice spoke to the group. "Gentlemen, I believe a recess is in order at this time." He struck his gavel on the desk, walked over and took Franklin by the arm. The two hurriedly left the Hall in an attempt to catch up with their colleague.

Jeff looked over at Bogg and tugged his sleeve. "Bogg, this was not supposed to happen. He HAS to complete the Declaration. If he doesn't, this country will never come into existence. We have got to go after him."

The two rose from their seats and walked outside, unnoticed by the delegates, who were still in a state of shock. Once they reached the steps of the Hall, they noticed Jefferson, now on horseback, his friends Franklin and Hancock standing by his side.

"Mr. Jefferson, wait! Where are you going?" Hancock asked.

"Home! My task is done here, and besides, I miss my bride." Jefferson replied wearily.

"You can't leave. You are the only person who can finish this document." Franklin said with a bit of apprehension.

"What about Adams?" Jefferson asked.

"What about him?" Franklin quipped.

"Mr. Adams has the ability and the knowledge to complete the document."

"Yes, but he doesn't have your obvious vision and poetic license." Franklin said as he attempted to stroke his ego.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Franklin, but I must be off. I have a long ride ahead of me." Jefferson exclaimed. "So long, Dr. Franklin, Mr. Hancock." In a cloud of dust, he turned and rode off down the street.

Just as Jefferson departed, Bogg and Jeff arrived outside. They walked over to where Franklin and Hancock, somewhat despondent, now stood.

"What are we to do now?" Hancock asked.

Franklin shook his head. "I don't know…I really don't know!" He said.

Jeff spoke up. "Mr. Franklin! Mr. Hancock! Maybe we can help?"

"My dear sirs, I believe you have us both at a disadvantage. Who might you be?" Hancock asked.

"Gentlemen. My name is Phineas Bogg. This lad beside me is my son Jeffrey. We couldn't help but observe the events that occurred inside. We know you are in quite a predicament here. Maybe we could lend a hand to help you with your problem."

"Thank you kind gentlemen for offering your assistance in this matter, but, I believe it would take an act of the good Lord above to get Jefferson to come back." Franklin said grimly.

"Why don't you let us go after him?" Jeff asked. "Bogg and I are pretty good when it comes to persuading people to do things our way."

"But what can the two of you do?" Hancock asked.

Bogg and Jeff stood there for a moment. "Well, we have a plan." Bogg said.

Jeff looked at Bogg, somewhat puzzled. "We do?" He asked.

Bogg elbowed his partner. "Oh…yea!" Jeff replied. "Do we ever have a plan."

"Well, what is it, gentlemen?" Franklin asked.

"First, can the two of you arrange some transportation for the two of us?" Bogg asked.

Hancock turned to face the two Voyagers. "Yes. Is a horse-drawn carriage ok, or would you rather go on horseback?" He asked.

"Sir, a carriage would be ideal." Bogg replied.

"Ok, now that the transportation arrangements have been finalized, what is your plan, Mr. Bogg?" Franklin asked impatiently.

"Well, it is simple, really. Jeff and I will follow him to his home. We will get close to him and attempt to persuade him to come back and complete his task."

"Your plan is very simplistic don't you think Mr. Bogg? What will you do if it fails?" Hancock asked curiously.

Bogg paused for a time, attempting to come up with an alternate plan of action. Suddenly, Jeff responded. "We will use the alternate plan, that is, to enlist the help of his wife to convince him to come back."

Franklin looked over at his colleague. "Mr. Hancock, it sounds like a good plan and on such short notice it's the only working plan we have. Besides, my gout is acting up again, which would keep me from making the journey myself. Why not let these gentlemen ride to Monticello and put their plan into action?"

"Dr. Franklin. I agree. And I cannot go because I have the Congress to keep under control. I say at this point, let's allow these two to proceed. What do we have to lose?" Hancock said fearlessly.

"First, we need to acquire some clothing, suitable for distinguished gentlemen, for you both." Hancock stated. "Dr. Franklin, if you are up to it, why don't you take these men over to the clothier and have them properly attired. Have the clothier put anything they need on my account."

"I am up to the task Mr. Hancock. If my gout starts acting up again, they can just pick me up and carry me there." Franklin said with a chuckle.

"In the meantime, I'll send my assistant to get my carriage and you both can be on your way." Hancock stated..

"Thank you sir. We hope we won't let you down." Bogg said humbly as he shook Hancock's hand.

"Thank you and good luck to you both." Hancock replied before he turned and went back inside the Hall.

"Gentlemen, we must proceed quickly." Franklin urged. "Come, let us be on our way."

Bogg, Jeff and Franklin walked down the street until they reached the clothier's shop. The three went inside and the clothier began to outfit them. After some time, Hancock's carriage arrived at the front steps of the shop and the three exited the establishment.

"Gentlemen, your previous attire did not do you justice. You look very handsome and distinguished."

"Thank you, Dr. Franklin." Bogg said as he adjusted his cuffs.

"Gentlemen, your carriage awaits to take you to the ball…and the driver looks a little bit anxious. I guess you had better get going, before it turns back into a pumpkin." Franklin teased.

Bogg and Jeff opened the door and climbed inside. Franklin reached over, closed the door and fastened it.

"It's time for you both to be on your way. God speed and good luck to you both. I look forward to seeing you again…with Jefferson by your side." Franklin said.

"Thank you, again sir." Bogg said

"Thank you Dr. Franklin." Jeff said.

Franklin yelled up at the driver. "My good sir, you may proceed!"

The driver snapped the reins and the Voyagers were now on their way.


	9. An Obstacle In the Road

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 9 – AN OBSTACLE IN THE ROAD**

After bidding goodbye to Franklin on the street in Philadelphia, the two Voyagers along with their driver began their long journey to Monticello. In their determination to get to the historic landmark in record time, they continued their ride long into the night. At the break of dawn, they stopped for a while to stretch their legs and rest a spell, before continuing their trek.

The driver pulled back on the reins and shouted to the horses "Whoa boys!" With this, the carriage began to slow down and eventually came to a stop. Bogg stuck his head out the window and yelled up to the driver.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"No." The Driver replied. "Nothing's wrong. I think we need to stop here for a while and stretch our legs. Besides, the horses need some rest as well."

Bogg opened the carriage door and stepped out onto the ground. He turned to help his partner out of the carriage, but Jeff was not behind him. He peered through the door and noticed that Jeff had not yet realized the carriage had stopped. He remained fast asleep inside.

"Hey, Kid! Rise and shine!" Bogg whispered.

"Whaaaaaat!" Jeff replied sleepily.

"Wake up, kid. You need to get out and stretch your legs a bit." Bogg urged.

"I don't want to stretch my legs. I want to sleep." Jeff said as he turned away and closed his eyes again.

"Ok. Do what you want. Just don't blame me if you get a cramp." Bogg said as he closed the carriage door.

Bogg approached the driver, who had climbed down from the driver's seat and was now standing in front of the horses feeding them some apples.

"Sir, how much farther do we have left to go?" Bogg asked.

"Well, I'd say we probably have a little less than half a day's travel left, before we reach Monticello." The driver explained.

"Wow, we're that close?"

"Yes, it's not much further now." The driver confirmed.

"While you tend to the horses, I think I'll go back and check on my partner. Let us know when you are ready to continue." Bogg said before walking back to the door of the carriage.

Jeff was exhausted from his long ride and was still sound asleep inside. Bogg softly opened the door, climbed in and sat down beside Jeff. After a few moments, he poked his partner in the arm to once again attempt to wake him.

"Hey Jeff." Bogg said in a whisper. "Wake up, kid."

Jeff opened his eyes and looked up at Bogg. "Ok." He said as he began to yawn. "I'm awake. What's going on? Why have we stopped?"

"The driver decided to stop for a while and allow us and the horses to rest." Bogg replied.

"I've got some good news though. We don't have much further to go. We're almost there."

Jeff's eyes lit up. "We're almost there! That's great!"

Jeff reached over and began to fumble around in Bogg's vest pocket.

Bogg looked down curiously as he partner continued to search his pocket.

"What are you looking for, kid?" He asked.

"Do you have any jerky left? I could do with a piece right now." Jeff asked.

Bogg reached into the opposite pocket and pulled out one last piece of jerky for his partner.

"Here, this is the last of it, at least until I can get some more." Bogg said as he handed it to him.

Jeff took the piece from him, tore it in half and offered some to him in return. "Here, Bogg, you can have half."

"Thanks, kid."

"Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, Jeff."

"This trip seems to be taking longer than I expected."

"Yea, tell it to my backside." Bogg replied. "It aches something awful."

"You know, we're not going to have a whole lot of time to convince Jefferson, before we have to start back." Jeff explained.

"Yea, when we arrive, we must immediately put our plan into action and get him convinced and back on the road to Philadelphia."

The two sat there silent for a moment, staring out into the wilderness.

Without warning, the driver came over and stuck his head through the window. "Gentlemen, if you both have had enough time to rest, we will be on our way once again."

"We're ready when you are." Bogg exclaimed.

The driver walked over and began to climb up to the driver's seat. With a snap of the reins, the horses slowly took off.

As the carriage got back up to speed, Jeff, with a rather curious look on his face spoke up. "Bogg?"

"Yea kid."

"How much longer do you suppose I will be with you?" He asked..

"Kid what brought this on?" Bogg replied with a puzzled look. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, at some point I will have to begin my training at Voyager Academy."

"Are you trying to get rid of me, kid?" Bogg teased as he turned and grinned at his partner.

"No, Bogg! I don't want to leave you. I was just wondering how much longer we would be together."

"Kid." Bogg said as he put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "You amaze me sometimes, always thinking, always one step ahead of the crowd. There's no rule in the Voyager Handbook that specifies when a Voyager trainee should begin his education at Voyager Academy."

"You still haven't answered my question. How much longer do we have together?"

"As long as it takes, kid." Bogg said boldly.

"What do you mean?"

"As smart as you are, I'd have thought you would have figured that out by now. Kid, you may not realize it, but you have already started your Voyager training. With me! You are getting the best one-on-one training that any Voyager recruit has ever had."

At this point, Jeff it suddenly struck him how lucky he was to have Bogg as his partner. With a look of appreciation on his face, he turned to his partner.

"You are the best, Bogg!" He said.

"So just stop your worrying, kid! We will be together until I reach a point where I have nothing left to teach you. Or… until we get tired of each other and I drop you off in Siberia or somewhere else cold." Bogg teased as he winked and then began to laugh.

"Bogg!!!"

While the driver guided the carriage onward toward its final destination, Jeff, weary from his travels, leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Bogg stared out the window and observed the wilderness as it quickly passed by.

Several hours passed. It was now late afternoon. Inside the carriage, the two Voyagers were once again awake and trying their best to keep themselves occupied. Without warning, the driver quickly pulled back on the reins and yelled out "Hold on gentlemen."

As the driver attempted to bring the carriage to a screeching halt, Bogg was thrown out of his seat momentarily. He quickly picked himself up and returned to his seat.

"Bogg, what's going on?" Jeff asked.

Before Bogg had a chance to respond to his partner's question, the carriage, still traveling at a high rate of speed, hit a deep crevasse in the road. The carriage jolted from side to side and then flew into the air. In a daring move, Bogg quickly grabbed his partner and held him in his arms in an attempt to protect him from harm. Seconds later, the carriage came crashing to the ground and flipped violently onto its side, tossing the driver into a clump of bushes.

Once the dust had settled, Bogg found himself lying face down on top of his partner. Slowly, he reached up and grabbed hold of the edge of the window and pulled himself up. Dazed and a bit shaken up, he stood there for a moment attempting to regain his senses. Once he was back to normal, he reached down and lifted Jeff into his arms.

"JEFF! JEFF, ARE YOU OK!" He exclaimed impatiently.

Jeff cracked open his eyes. Still a bit woozy from it all, he attempted to respond.

"Boooooggggg. Whaaaat haaaaapppppeened?"

"Are you ok?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I'm ok…Just a little shaken up. What happened?"

"Whew, you're ok!" Bogg said as he hugged him.

He slowly lowered his partner and put him gently down onto his feet. Unlatching the carriage door, he pushed it open and turned back to his partner.

"Kid, we need to climb out of here. You first!" He said as he picked up his partner and hoisted him up through the door.

Jeff climbed up and out of the carriage and slid down its side to the ground. Bogg immediately followed suit. They stood there for a moment and gazed curiously at the road behind them. It was then they spotted what had caused the accident.

"Look kid, back there! We hit that large gully in the road. That's what caused us to flip over."

Jeff looked back at the carriage. "Bogg! Where's the driver?"

"I don't know kid. C'mon, let's see if we can find him."

The two walked over to calm the horses and look for the driver. Unexpectedly, a loud moan came from a clump of bushes nearby.

"Bogg! Over there! It's the driver!" Jeff exclaimed.

Bogg ran over and helped the driver to his feet.

"Thanks, kind sir." The driver said as he steadied himself on his feet. "Are you two alright?"

"Yes sir, we are fine. No broken bones, just a few bruises." Bogg confirmed.

"Are YOU ok?"

"Yes, I too am fine, just bruised and scratched up. I am so sorry, gentlemen. By the time I saw that gully in the road, it was just too late. I couldn't stop the horses in time to avoid hitting it." The driver said with remorse.

"Don't worry about it. It couldn't be helped." Bogg reassured. "I guess the next question is what do we do now?"

"Well, we still have two horses. You two gentlemen can unhitch the horses and ride them on to Monticello."

"What about you?" Jeff asked with concern. "Bogg we can't just leave him here alone with no means of transportation."

"I agree!" Bogg exclaimed. "I've got a better idea. We'll unhitch the horses. Jeff and I will take one and you take the other."

"That's very kind of you, sir. While you two continue your journey, I'll ride back to the last town we passed through and see if I can get some help to fix the carriage. As soon as I straighten out this mess, I'll make my way to Monticello to get the three of you and take you back to Philadelphia."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Bogg acknowledged. "There's just one problem though."

"What's that?" The driver asked.

"Well, we don't know the way to Monticello." Bogg stated.

"Gentlemen. You are about 4 hours away from the plantation. Just continue on down this road and you will run right into it."

"If that's the case, let's unhitch these horses and get started!" Bogg exclaimed.

Jeff approached his partner with a look of concern on his face. "Please tell me we are not going to ride there on horseback."

"Yep, kid. Looks like that's our only option."

"Bogg! What about using the omni?" Jeff asked.

"I wish I could, but, we can't risk it. Besides, if we leave now, it will raise too many questions." Bogg said.

Without thought, he reached to his belt and felt for the omni. Much to his surprise, it wasn't there. Bogg started to panic.

"Kid! The omni! Do you have it?" He exclaimed.

"No Bogg, I don't have it." Jeff acknowledged. "Maybe you lost it when the carriage turned over."

"We have to find it, kid." Bogg said with a touch of uneasiness in his tone. "Otherwise, we will be stranded here in this time zone."

"What are we waiting for, let's go find it!" Jeff shouted.

A bit curious as to what the two were in such a tempest over, the driver suddenly approached them.

"Gentlemen, have you lost something?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. I've lost my…", Bogg replied before Jeff interrupted him.

"Pocket watch…He lost his pocket watch and it's a family heirloom." Jeff stated.

"Quick thinking, kid!" Bogg whispered.

"Well you two go have a look around. I'll stay here and finish unhitching the horses." The driver said as he walked away from the two.

Bogg and Jeff left the driver to his tasks and continued their search for the omni.

"Kid, you have a look around out here and I'll climb back inside and see if it's in there."

"Right!"

Bogg climbed inside the carriage and began to rifle through its contents, as Jeff began to search the area around it. Minutes later, Bogg emerged through the door and jumped down onto the ground.

"Did you find it?" Jeff yelled.

"Nope. What about you?"

"Nothing yet, Bogg."

The two continued to comb the area. Bogg scoured one side of the road while Jeff searched the other side. After some time had passed, Jeff yelled over to his partner.

"Anything yet?" He asked.

Bogg misunderstood his partner's question and shouted back. "Did you find it, kid? "

"No, I was wondering if you found it." Jeff yelled.

"No, nothing yet." Bogg replied

By this time, the sun had started to set. Bogg, now tired and worried that he would never find the omni, paused for a moment. He sat down by the side of the road with his head down in his hands. Jeff looked back and noticed his partner sitting down and decided he needed some company.

"What's wrong Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"I'm just tired." Bogg replied in a despondent tone.

"You're worried about the omni. Aren't you?" Jeff said softly.

"Yea kid." Bogg replied.

Jeff got down on his knees and put his hand on Bogg's shoulder. "Bogg, as I recall, we have been in worse situations than this before. And it's always worked out. So don't worry, we'll find the omni. It's got to be here somewhere."

Bogg looked up and smiled at Jeff. "Wait a minute! There's something definitely wrong here. That's the speech I normally give to console you in a time of crisis. What gives, kid?"

"Hey, if it works for me… Why shouldn't it do the same for you?" Jeff said as he grinned a bit, got to his feet and walked away.

"Wait a minute, you can't leave me now. You didn't finish the speech." Bogg yelled. "And I should know, 'cause I wrote it." He mumbled to himself.

"Bogg! Come quick!" Jeff yelled.

Bogg got up and ran over to see what was wrong.

"Yea kid, what is it?"

"Bogg, look! Over there! See it!" Jeff said as he pointed off into the distance.

"What kid? I don't see anything."

"Look! There's something lying in the road, reflecting the sunlight." He shouted.

Bogg and Jeff turned and looked at each other. Almost instantly the two shouted in unison, "It's the omni!" Immediately they took off running toward the object.

Upon reaching the area from where the reflection had originated, there, lying in the road was the omni, enveloped in a good coating of dust.

Jeff reached down, picked it up and wiped the dust off on his sleeve. He looked at Bogg, smiled and handed it to him. "I believe this belongs to you, Mr. Bogg."

"Yes, and what a welcome sight it is. Thank you kid." Bogg replied with a sense of great joy in his voice.

Bogg opened the omni and its red light was still flashing.

"Is it working?" Jeff asked.

"We have a red light! I never thought I would ever say what a pleasure it is to see that light blinking, even if it's red." Bogg said.

The two began walking back to the carriage. Once they arrived, the driver approached them.

"Did you find your watch?" He asked.

"Yes, we found it." Bogg acknowledged.

"Well, that's good. I'm happy that you found it. I finished unhitching the horses and yours is ready to go."

"Well kid, I guess we must be on our way. C'mon, let's get aboard."

"Yea, like it's a ship or something." Jeff said with some sarcasm.

"C'mon!" Bogg said as he playfully pushed his partner in front of him.

Bogg lifted Jeff and put him in the saddle. Before he climbed atop the beast, Bogg turned to the driver and asked, "You're sure you'll be ok? Right?"

"Yes, I'll be just fine…" The driver reassured. 'You two go ahead. You have much work ahead of you to convince Mr. Jefferson to come back. Now, go and good luck to you. I will see you in a few days."

Bogg climbed onto the horse, grabbed the reins and started off.

"Thanks again." Bogg yelled as the two rode off into the distance.


	10. The Arrival At Monticello

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 10 – THE ARRIVAL AT MONTICELLO**

By this time, darkness had come. Bogg and Jeff continued down the road guided only by the light of a quarter moon. Having been on horseback for almost 4 hours, the two were tired, sore, hungry and in desperate need of a soft bed to crash upon.

Jeff nudged his partner. "Bogg, can we stop for a moment and rest?" He asked.

"Sure, kid!" Bogg replied. He pulled back on the reins and yelled "Whoa, now! Whoa, boy!"

Once the horse came to a stop, Jeff gingerly got down off of the beast.

"Thanks, Bogg. I needed that. I have a big pain in my backside."

"Really!" Bogg said with a smile. "I always thought I was the pain in your backside."

"C'mon Bogg, get serious! I think I have blisters back there."

Bogg slid down off the horse, walked over and stood by his partner. "Sorry kid. If it's any consolation to you, I think I have a few blisters too."

"I would say we shouldn't have too much farther to go." Bogg reassured. "Once we arrive, we can find a BIG cushion for you to sit on. Wait, make that two…I'll need one also."

"Bogg!!!"

"If you have quite finished nursing your wounds, we need to get going. " Bogg teased.

Jeff sighed. "I guess I'm ready."

The two climbed back atop their horse and proceeded down the road. Minutes later, a faint beam of light could be seen in the distance.

"Hey, kid, look!" Bogg exclaimed.

"What?"

"Over there…you see it, kid? A light!"

"Yea, I see it. It's a house. Bogg, it's Monticello!" Jeff shouted.

"Hang on kid!" Bogg yelled to his partner. He snapped the reins and yelled a loud "Yah!" and the horse began to gallop faster.

Minutes later, the two arrived outside the front gate of the mansion. Bogg pulled back on the reins and exclaimed "Whoa, boy. Whoa!" The horse obeyed and gradually came to a halt.

Soon after Bogg and Jeff slid down off the horse, they were met by one of Jefferson's slaves, the stable boy, who had heard the two as they rode up.

"Who be you two?" The slave asked.

"The name's Bogg, and this is my son Jeffrey." Bogg replied. "And who might you be?"

"I'm massa Jefferson's stable boy." He replied. "Wha'yu two be doin' out d'is time of night?"

"Well, sir, we have been sent here from Philadelphia to see Mr. Jefferson." Bogg said. "We've been riding for two days to get here."

"It's a wonder the pair of you wuzn't eaten by somethin'. Lotsa hungry critters roam the wood dis time of night. Y'all just wait here, I'll go and fetch massa Jefferson."

The slave walked toward the front door and just as he stepped upon the porch, the door opened and Mr. Jefferson peered outside.

"What's all the noise?" Jefferson asked.

"Massa Jefferson, two strangers are here to see you." The slave explained.

"Well, show them to the door and then get about your work." Jefferson ordered.

The slave walked back over to Bogg and Jeff. "Massa Jefferson wants to see you, he be waitin' for y'all on the porch."

"Thank you, sir." Bogg replied. He and Jeff walked to the porch and stepped upon it.

"Gentlemen. Who are you and what are you doing here at this time of night?" Jefferson asked somewhat critically.

"Well, sir. It's a long story. My name is Phineas Bogg and this is my son Jeffrey. Dr. Franklin and Mr. Hancock sent us here from Philadelphia. We've been riding for days to reach you."

"On horseback? With a child? All the way from Philadelphia?" Jefferson replied with great astonishment. "Why didn't they commandeer a carriage? It would have been more comfortable for you both."

Bogg attempted to explain their stroke of bad luck to the learned scholar.

Mr. Jefferson, when we began our journey, we were in a carriage lent to us by Mr. Hancock. However, about 4 hours ago, we ran into a deep gully in the road and the carriage flipped over."

"My heavens, were you hurt?" Jefferson asked.

Jeff spoke up. "No,sir. We were just bruised and battered."

After hearing what the two had gone through just to visit him, Jefferson welcomed them with open arms into his home.

"Gentlemen, please do come in and make yourselves at home." He said warmly. Bogg and Jeff stepped through the door and stood beside Jefferson as he closed and fastened it.

"Come gentlemen." Jefferson said as he walked down the hall to the door of the parlor. "After you." He said as he waved the two to enter.

Once they were inside, Jefferson pointed to the beautiful Victorian settee near the fireplace. "Gentlemen, please make yourselves comfortable. When was the last time you two have eaten?"

"Early this morning." Bogg replied.

"Well, you two sit and rest a spell. I'll go find the misses and see if she can't make you something."

"Thank you sir." Bogg said humbly.

While Jefferson went in search of his wife, the two voyagers sat there admiring the beauty of the room. After some time had passed, Jeff laid his head against Bogg's shoulder and fell asleep.

A few minutes later, Jefferson came back into the room, his wife Martha at his side.

"My dear. Let me introduce you to our guests. This is Phineas Bogg and his son, Jeffrey." Jefferson said cordially. "Mr. Bogg, this is my lovely wife, Martha."

"A pleasure to meet you ma'am. I would normally rise on occasions such as this, but, Jeffrey has prevented me from doing so."

"I see what you mean." Mrs. Jefferson replied with a chuckle. "Ahhhh. Look at the little guy. He's just worn out."

"I really hate for you to have to wake him, but, I have arranged a small meal for you both. I hope you won't be offended. It's not much, but it's all we have at the moment." She said cordially.

"Mrs. Jefferson, you are most kind. I'm sure whatever it is, it will be more than appropriate." Bogg replied.

Bogg turned to Jeff and whispered in his ear. "Hey, kid. You need to wake up. It's time to eat."

Jeff was so exhausted, he didn't respond. Bogg tried once more to wake him. "Hey kid, are you ready to go to Siberia?"

Suddenly, Jeff woke up and began to speak. "What? Siberia? Oh no, not there!"

Upon hearing Jeff's response, the three burst into laughter.

"Siberia? What's so special about that place?" Jefferson asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Well, sir. Jeff and I have visited Siberia. Jeff was ready to leave the same day we arrived. He doesn't like the cold at all. So, any time I need to get his attention or he starts being mischievous, I just tell him I'm going to take him back there. It always works." Bogg explained as a large smile came over his face.

Jeff gave his partner a hard look. Bogg reached over and put his arm around him and said. "No matter what, I'll always love you, kid. Now let's go get something to eat."

"If you gentlemen will step this way, your meal awaits you in the dining room." Mrs Jefferson said graciously.

Bogg and Jeff rose from their seats and walked into the dining room. Before they sat down at the ornate cherry dining table, beautifully set with china and silver, they stood there for a moment, awestruck, by its magnificence.

Jefferson walked over and pulled the chair out for his lovely wife. Once she was seated, he walked over to the head of the table.

"My good gentlemen, please…be seated." He beckoned.

Bogg and Jeff sat down and unfolded their napkins onto their laps.

"Jennie!" Mrs. Jefferson called out as she picked up a little bell and rang it softly. "We are ready now."

Immediately, a beautiful young slave girl came through the door. She wore an ankle length dress made of dark blue material, accented by a white apron edged in lace. Her hair was pinned up underneath a starched white bonnet. After she slowly and graciously made her way to the table, she poured her master and his wife a glass of wine and then began to serve their guests. Once everyone had been served, she quietly left the room.

Bogg and Jeff commenced to eat. Their appetites were now somewhat overwhelming.

"Mr. Bogg, Jeffrey, I hope everything is to your liking." Mrs. Jefferson implored. "Like I said before, it's not much."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Jefferson. The food is very good and very filling as well." Bogg complimented. "It's just what the two of us needed after such a long journey."

"Mr. Bogg. Why did Franklin and Adams send you here?" Jefferson asked pointedly.

Bogg put down his fork for a moment. "Mr. Jefferson, to put it quite frankly, they sent the two of us here to convince you to come back and finish what you started."

Jefferson began to laugh. "Why should I? I spent weeks sitting at my desk in Philadelphia, writing the most important document ever to be written in these thirteen colonies. And for what purpose? To have every last word of it torn apart by the delegates in Congress. I think not."

"Sir. I…" Bogg began to respond to Jefferson, but had now noticed Jefferson's wife was currently staring at him, with a sort of star-struck look painted on her face. After being noticed by Bogg, Mrs. Jefferson glanced down at her plate and continued to eat. Seeing this, Bogg looked back at Jefferson.

"Sir, I quite understand your point of view in this matter. As a matter of fact, I witnessed some of what you went through two days ago, before you walked out and left Philadelphia."

"If it hadn't been for Adams and Franklin, I would have walked out long before then. They understand the hardships that King George has put upon us. They know all too well, we must take a stand and declare ourselves a free and independent nation; otherwise we are doomed to taxation and servitude. Not only that, slowly but surely, the good King is taking away those the freedoms we so bravely risked our lives to come here for."

"I understand your frustration, sir. However, you cannot just throw your hands into the air and give up." Bogg said as he attempted to make Jefferson see the light. "You have to fight, and fight hard until you have no more strength left in you."

Bogg took another bite of his food and as he put his fork down, he once again noticed Mrs. Jefferson smiling strangely at him. Quickly, he again turned to Jefferson.

"Mr. Bogg. I truly appreciate your words of wisdom in this matter. I have not given up, by no means. It's just… Many of the delegates in Congress do not fully understand what we are attempting to accomplish with this document. And those who do understand are too afraid of the retribution that will be brought upon them and their families for being associated with such a document."

"Why is that, Mr. Jefferson?" Bogg asked. "According to what you just said, it all comes down to one sentence. Either you become a free and independent nation or you become slaves to Old King George. I think if it were up to me, I would rather be free."

"It's a pity you are not a member of Congress. I believe if we had more delegates who think like you, this document would have been completed and ratified long ago." Jefferson acknowledged before taking a sip of his wine.

"Thank you Mr. Jefferson. At this point, Bogg pulled out all the stakes and posed the obvious question.

"Now, would it be too much to ask of you to come back to Philadelphia and continue your fight?"

"No, Mr. Bogg. I'm not going back. My task is in Adams' hands now. It's all up to him." Jefferson said as he rose from the table. "And now, if you will excuse me, I must get ready for bed. Please continue to enjoy your meal. Once you have finished, Mrs. Jefferson will show you to the guest room, where you may stay the night."

"Thank you for your kind hospitality, sir." Bogg replied.

As Jefferson walked through the dining room door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at his guests.

"Oh, one more thing. Breakfast is at six am tomorrow. After you have eaten, my wife and I will take you on a tour of the grounds. For now, a good night to you both."

After Jefferson had left the room, his wife rose from the table. Bogg and Jeff stood up as a matter of courtesy to their gracious hostess as she made her way over and stood next to Bogg.

"Gentlemen." Mrs. Jefferson prompted as she looked up at Bogg, smiled and batted her eyelashes. "If you will come with me, I will show you to your room."

With this latest bit of flirting, Bogg was now feeling quite uncomfortable with this situation. He looked at his hostess and attempted to express his gratitude without giving her the wrong signals.

"Thank you, ma'am." He replied somewhat indifferently.

The two followed Mrs. Jefferson upstairs to the guest room.

"You may sleep here tonight. I'm sorry there is only one bed, but, that shouldn't be a problem for the two of you. The summer evenings in Virginia can get a little bit warm, so if you get too hot, you can raise the window." She said as she continued to stare at Bogg, almost lustfully.

Bogg, somewhat shaken up by Mrs. Jefferson's actions, stumbled on his words as he attempted to show thanks to his hostess.

"Thank you… ma'…am." He said warmly.

"Well, good night to you both." She said before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Bogg sat down on the bed and started taking off his boots. After having some difficulty with one, Jeff came over and began tugging on it. Without warning, the boot slipped off Bogg's foot and Jeff fell to the floor with a thud.

"Hey, are you ok?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I'm ok."

"Bogg? What was going on at the dining room table earlier?" Jeff asked his partner. "At one point, you had the strangest look on your face."

Mrs. Jefferson's continuous staring at Bogg had unnerved him greatly. A bit confused and stunned by the experience, he snapped at his partner in response to his question.

"Kid, did you see what Mrs. Jefferson was doing?"

"No. What was she doing?"

"She was sitting there staring at me with this, this…oh what's the word for it…this strange grin on her face." Bogg replied

"I didn't see her. Maybe it was just your imagination."

"Well, she did it, twice, kid." Bogg exclaimed. "It was as if she was…as you would put it…'all googley-eyed' at me."

Jeff began to laugh. "Bogg, c'mon, she's a married woman!"

"Shhhh! Jeff, not so loud, or she'll hear us." Bogg said with a quiver in his voice. "I know she's married, but since when has that stopped anyone from doing something like that?"

"Bogg, if it happens again just ignore her." Jeff recommended. "That's how you handle that. Now come on, let's get some sleep."

"I guess you're right, kid." Bogg acknowledged. Without saying another word, he climbed into bed and pulled the covers over him.

Once Bogg was snuggly tucked in, Jeff climbed in on the opposite side and pulled the covers up over him.

"Good night, Bogg!"

"Good night, Kid!"

After a few moments of silence, Jeff leaped up and teased his partner. "Whew! Bogg! When was the last time you changed your socks?"

Bogg turned over and looked at Jeff. "It's been a couple of months or so. Now be quiet and go back to sleep."


	11. A Moment of Insanity

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 11 – A MOMENT OF INSANITY**

After enjoying a good night's sleep, Bogg and Jeff awakened the next morning to the overpowering aroma of bacon and eggs coming from the Jefferson's kitchen.

Jeff sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes and stretched his limbs.

"Hey, Bogg, You awake?"

"Yea, I'm awake." Bogg said sleepily. He sat up in bed and rubbed his aching muscles. "I'm awake and very uncomfortable kid. I don't know what was worse, riding in a carriage and having it flip over or riding a horse for 4 hours? Either way, I'm quite sore this morning."

"I know what you mean." Jeff said as empathized with his partner. "This mission has definitely taken its toll on both of us."

Bogg threw back the covers and put his feet on the floor. "I guess we better get dressed. They will be waiting for us downstairs."

Bogg pulled on his boots and went over to the washstand and began to freshen up a bit before the two of them joined the Jefferson's. After straightening his hair, he turned to his partner and asked. "Well, am I presentable?"

"Yea Bogg, you look great. What about me?" Jeff asked.

Bogg looked at his partner and noticed a couple of items out of place. "Kid, come over here and let me fix your collar." Jeff fumbled with his collar a bit and then walked over and stood beside him.

Bogg straightened Jeff's collar and smoothed down a stray lock of hair.

"There, that's more like it." Bogg said after fixing the problem. "One more thing though, you need to tuck in your shirt. It's hanging out on the side."

While Jeff tucked in his shirt tail, Bogg got to his feet. Upon examining himself and his partner one final time, he turned to his partner and began to speak.

"Well, I'd say we look quite handsome this morning. Don't you think?" Bogg teased as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Ok, Mr. Handsome, if you're quite finished basking in your own limelight, I think they are still waiting for us downstairs." Jeff teased.

Jeff walked toward the door with Bogg not too far behind him.

"Hold on, kid." Bogg said.

"What now, Mom!", Jeff said sarcastically.

Jeff's less than subtle hint about his partner's fussiness, hit home with Bogg. At this point, Bogg again teased his partner by playing the part of Old Mother Hubbard.

"Jef--frey!!" He said in a high pitched womanly tone. "Did you wash behind your ears this morning? Come here and let me see. If I find you didn't do a proper job, I'll have to do it for you."

"C'mon Bogg, really!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Git over here kid and let me look at those ears?" Bogg said as he motioned for Jeff to come toward him.

Jeff looked at his partner and then decided to play along. In a child-like voice he replied. "Okay mommy! I'll be right there." He put his thumb in his mouth and in a shy sort of way, walked over to Bogg.

"That's a good little boy." Bogg said, still playing his female role. "What a shame, you haven't combed your hair in a month. Geeze! Must I do everything for you?"

Jeff removed his thumb from his mouth. "Yea mommy, I don't know how to comb my hair."

Bogg smoothed another lock of Jeff's untamed hair, back into place.

"C'mon kid, let's get some breakfast.", Bogg said in his normal voice.

"Ok, mommy!" Jeff teased as he opened the door.

Bogg rolled his eyes. "Get going! You little pain!"

The two made their way to the dining room for breakfast. As they walked through the door, they noticed Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson were already seated at the table.

"Good morning gentlemen." Jefferson said as he took a sip from his cup.

"Good morning." Bogg replied as the two took a seat.

"I pray you both had a good night's rest." Mrs. Jefferson asked.

"Thank you. We slept very well. The accommodations were excellent. My compliments to the host and hostess." Bogg said warmly.

"What would you two like to eat?" Mrs. Jefferson asked. "Breakfast will not be as limited as the meal we served you last night.

"Well, what's on the menu?" Bogg asked.

"We have the more traditional breakfast, bacon, eggs, oatmeal and such, or you can have fresh fruit, apples and pears from the orchard. We have coffee, tea or fresh milk to drink." She replied as she continued her lustful stare at the pirate.

Bogg quickly turned to his partner and asked. "Well, kid, what's your pleasure."

"Bacon and eggs for me." Jeff said.

"Ok, young man. What about you, Mr. Bogg?" Mrs. Jefferson asked with a hint of a tease in her voice.

"Uh…Umm, I guess I'll have the same. Oh… and some coffee for me and milk for Jeff." He replied nervously.

Mrs. Jefferson picked up the little silver bell sitting on the table next to her and gently rang it. Moments later, Jennie came through the door.

"Yes ma'am" Jennie replied.

"Jennie… Please prepare some bacon, eggs and biscuits for our two guests here. Mr. Bogg needs a cup of coffee and his son, a glass of milk." She said gracefully.

"Yes ma'am, Mrs. Jefferson." Jennie acknowledged before leaving the room.

"Mr. Bogg, do you have anything planned for today?" Mrs. Jefferson asked.

"Nothing special, Mrs. Jefferson. Just another attempt to convince your husband here to come back to Philadelphia with us."

"You don't give up easily, Mr. Bogg." Jefferson quipped.

"No, I don't sir. I'm Plan-A. If I can't get the job done, then we go to Plan-B." Bogg said with a smile.

"What's Plan-B, Mr. Bogg?" Jefferson asked with a puzzled look on his face. "That is if you don't mind me asking."

"Well, sir. It's been a while since I have had to implement Plan-B and I assure you, it will stop at nothing to get the job done."

Upon piquing his curiosity, Jefferson once again quizzed his guest.

"Mr. Bogg. Please don't keep me in suspense. What is Plan-B?"

"My dear sir. Plan-B is currently sitting beside me." Bogg said, now referring to his partner.

Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson began to laugh. "Ok, so when all else fails get the child to pull at the heartstrings, isn't that right?" Jefferson asked, as he chuckled a bit.

"Correct, sir. So you better beware." Bogg warned.

The group once again burst into laughter. After a moment of comic relief, Mr. Jefferson spoke up.

"Mr. Bogg. Once you and your son have finished breakfast, my wife and I would like to take you on a tour of the grounds. She would like to show you around the house and gardens."

"That would be great, sir." Bogg replied with a bit of indifference as unimaginable thoughts started to race through his mind.

"I, on the other hand would like to get to know Plan-B here and show him the vineyards, the horses and the orchards. If that is acceptable." Jefferson said.

"I'm sure Jeffrey would enjoy that. Right kid?" Bogg asked.

"Yea! I'd like that."

Jefferson took a sip of his coffee and gave them an example of his own sense of humor.

"Oh, by the way, if you have not already figured it out by now, I'm using the 'divide and conquer' strategy." He said with a smile and a chuckle.

At this point, Jennie emerged from the adjacent room, pushing a serving cart with Bogg and Jeff's food. She served them both and then quietly left the room.

"Mrs. Jefferson, my complements to the cook." Bogg exclaimed. "This looks and smells terrific."

"Thank you Mr. Bogg. I will pass that along. Now, you both need to eat before it gets cold." She urged.

Later, after the two finished eating, Mr. Jefferson rose from the table. He looked at his young guest and beckoned him to his side.

"Jeffrey, if you are ready. Then come, let us be off."

Jeff rose from the table and followed Jefferson as he made his way out the door to begin his tour of the grounds. Unaware of the events which were now about to unfold, Bogg sat quietly and sipped the last bit of coffee from his cup.

"Mr. Bogg, if you have finished, please allow me to show you around our modest home." Mrs. Jefferson said with a warm smile.

Bogg got up from the table, walked over and stood beside his hostess. Unexpectedly, she took Bogg's arm in hers and began the tour.

"Mr. Bogg, will you come with me?"

"I would be more than happy to accompany you." Bogg said in a gentleman like way. "Please, call me Phineas."

"Ok, mister…I mean Phineas."

As Mrs. Jefferson and her guest casually made their way from the dining room into the parlor, she began to relate to him the history of the home.

"My husband began designing and building this home for us several years ago. At that time, he owned several acres of land in this area, including the area upon which this structure was built."

"At one time the land underneath our home was nothing more than a small hill. He chose this spot, because of its beautiful location and splendid view. Once he had made up his mind, he and his workers leveled off the top of this hill and the rest is history.

"The name…Monticello…It's Italian, isn't it?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, Phineas it is. It means 'little mountain.'" She replied.

By this time, the two had reached the entrance to the parlor and went inside. The parlor, a room whose tall ceiling echoed even the sound of a dropped pin, was richly decorated. There were lavish oil paintings on the walls, strategically placed, crimson-upholstered armchairs everywhere, and a beautiful oak harpsichord, which topped off the ornate furnishings much like the icing on a cake. As Bogg stood there in awe, Mrs. Jefferson began to go over the finer points of the room.

"Phineas. This room, which you have already seen, is the parlor. This is the room where we receive and entertain all of our guests."

Bogg surveyed the room. At one point, he was taken breathless by the sight of the beautiful portraits adorning the walls.

"You have some very beautiful paintings here." Bogg said as he cast an eye over them.

"Yes, Phineas. These are portraits of those great men who have been an inspiration to my husband."

Bogg walked over and pointed to one of the portraits on the wall. "I take it, this is Columbus?" Bogg inquired.

"Why yes! How did you ever guess?" She asked, stunned by his identification of the great man.

"Let's just say, I've seen him before." Bogg said with a grin.

"My husband and I love this room. It is one of our favorites. Come, let us proceed into the entrance hall."

"After you ma'am."

The two casually strolled across the beautiful parquet floor of the parlor and proceeded into the entrance hall.

"Phineas, this is the entrance hall as it is officially titled. Unofficially, we call this the Indian Hall for obvious reasons."

"Your husband must have a great interest in the Indian culture as well as a love for the Indian people. This has to be one of the better collections of Indian artifacts I have seen." Bogg said as he admired one display on the wall.

"Yes, my husband has a great interest in Indian affairs. It is so strong in fact, that sometimes I believe he was a warrior chieftain in a prior life." Mrs. Jefferson said and then laughed to herself.

Immediately, Bogg took notice of a marble bust on the opposite wall. He walked over to get a closer look at it. After gazing at it for a moment, Mrs. Jefferson joined him at his side.

"Your curiosity seems to have been stirred by the busts, Phineas."

"Well, I know this one is Mr. Jefferson himself, but the faces of the others are familiar, but I cannot remember who they are."

"Maybe I can assist you. The one on the right is Voltaire. He was one of my husband's favorites. On the left is Alexander Hamilton, one of my husband's rivals." She explained.

"One question, Mrs. Jefferson?" Bogg asked.

Mrs. Jefferson looked up at Bogg and began to bat her eyes. "Please, Phineas, call me Martha." She said in a soft tone.

"Ok, uh…Martha. Why are there so many chairs in this room?"

"Believe it or not, he had these Windsor chairs shipped from overseas. He always wanted to be sure there were enough chairs for every one of his visitors."

"Beautiful and very rich indeed." Bogg said, as he complimented his hostess. "You both have great taste when it comes to decorating."

"Thank you Phineas. May we proceed?"

"By all means, ma'am." Bogg replied.

The two slowly walked across the entrance hall and down a small corridor until they reached the next room. Mrs. Jefferson opened the door and invited Bogg to go inside. She followed in his footsteps and quietly closed the door behind them.

"This is our most favorite of all the rooms here at Monticello.

"Ahhh! Obviously. The bedroom." Bogg acknowledged, now a bit uncomfortable being inside another man's bedroom with his wife.

"Yes… The bedroom. Come this way." Mrs. Jefferson urged, as she strolled over to their bed.

"This is our bed. My husband designed it."

"Very unusual indeed. It's inside an alcove." He stated, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

Mrs. Jefferson made her way closer to Bogg as he stood with his back to her, admiring the room on the other side of the alcove. Sensing her closeness, he turned quickly to face her.

"Uh…what's in the room on the other side?" He asked hesitantly.

"Oh that's just his study." She said somewhat blasé, as she inched her way closer to him. Bogg, in an attempt to put some space between them took a step back and was currently pressed against the bed.

Mrs. Jefferson stood there, her eyes fixed upon the handsome Voyager, with a lustful sort of expression on her face. She reached up and put both hands on Bogg's shoulders as her lips made their way ever closer to his.

"Are you taken, Phineas?" She asked in a low, sensuous voice.

"Uh…uh… no!" He answered nervously.

"What a shame." Mrs. Jefferson replied. "Such a handsome man, obviously going to waste." She began to brush Bogg's hair with her fingers. In an instant, the lust was so overwhelming; the two began to kiss passionately.

Once reality had set in, Bogg immediately stopped and pushed Mrs. Jefferson away. "Mrs. Jefferson…. Martha…. Stop! This is not right! You're a married woman and besides, I have a kid!"

"So what's wrong with a little kiss?" She asked.

"I'll tell you! A jealous husband, that's what!" Bogg exclaimed, now feeling an extreme sense of urgency to flee. "I'm sorry but I want no part of that."

Mrs. Jefferson advanced once more. "Mr. Jefferson's out in the fields and like I said, what's wrong with one little kiss?"

"Mrs. Jefferson, please…I beg you…Stop." Bogg pleaded.

Now in a very uncomfortable and compromising situation, Bogg quickly scanned the room for a means of escape. Instantly, Bogg pushed aside the lustful Mrs. Jefferson and dived through the alcove into Jefferson's study. After almost crashing through the door to the portico, he quickly opened it and took off running across the lawn. Now out of harm's way, he stopped for a moment and surveyed the area in an attempt to find his partner. Upon noticing his partner in the distance, he began to make his way toward him.

"Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Kid! Am I ever glad to see you." He said with overwhelming excitement.

"Mr. Bogg, I have been showing young Jeffrey here my vineyards and gardens. I discovered after taking him on a tour of the stables he just loves horses." Jefferson said with great surprise.

"I would have never thought!" Bogg said sarcastically.

"You have finished your tour quite soon, Mr. Bogg." Jefferson said pointedly.

"Sir, your wife is a gracious host and you two have a beautiful home."

"Thank you Mr. Bogg. One thing's for sure, if it wasn't for her, none of this would be possible. I worship the ground she walks upon. But, please don't tell her that." Jefferson teased.

"Believe me sir I would never do such a thing." Bogg acknowledged.

"Would you mind if I take Jeff away from you for a while. I need to have a little father-son chat with him, if you know what I mean." Bogg asked.

"I understand, Mr. Bogg. I hope he hasn't gotten into any mischief." Jefferson said curiously.

"No. It's nothing like that. We just need to have a talk."

"That's ok. Lad, we can continue our tour later this afternoon, if you are up to it." Jefferson said as he winked at his guest.

"Sure!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'd like to ride one of your horses."

"Mr. Bogg, there are some chairs over on the portico. You can chat with the lad over there if you like."

"Thank you sir." Bogg replied as he put his arm around his partner. "C'mon kid. Let's go!"

Bogg and Jeff left Mr. Jefferson in the vineyard, walked to the portico and sat down.

Jeff sensed something was wrong with his partner. The look on Bogg's face spoke volumes.

"Bogg, what's going on?" Jeff asked, with a heightened state of concern. "You look as if you have just seen a ghost."

"Kid, you won't believe what just happened inside." Bogg exclaimed as he was still in denial over what had happened.

"What happened?" Jeff prompted. "You were supposed to be touring the house with Mrs. Jefferson."

"Yes, but first, let me tell you, I had nothing to do with it!" Bogg exclaimed.

"Bogg! Calm down and tell me what happened."

"It's like this. You remember last night when I told you about Mrs. Jefferson staring at me at the table?"

"Yea, it was just your imagination, right!" Jeff confirmed.

"No, kid. It was for real."

Jeff's eyes lit up with surprise. "What do you mean, Bogg?"

"Well, we were touring the house and then she took me over to see their bedroom…" Bogg explained as his breathing became labored.

"Bogg, please." Jeff pleaded. "You have to calm down. Everything's ok. Now, tell me what happened next."

Bogg paused for a moment and took a deep, calming breath. Upon regaining his composure, he continued with his story.

"We went inside the room. After she closed the door behind me, she commenced to… how should I put it…Put the move on me." Bogg said while still in a state of disbelief.

"She what?" Jeff exclaimed.

"She cornered me in front of the bed, put her arms around me and put a lip lock on me."

Based on the events of the past, Jeff began to read more into this situation and started laying the blame at his partner's feet.

"Well, I knew it. I knew it was coming…" Jeff chided. "You just can't resist the power of a beautiful woman."

Bogg, visibly shaken by the incident, exclaimed. "Kid, I had nothing to do with it! She came on to me!"

"Right! I don't believe it for one minute. I'll bet you went all googley-eyed at the sight of her. And in Jefferson's bedroom too. Geeze!" Jeff admonished.

"Kid, you really don't believe me, do you?" Bogg said as he stood up and began to pace. "I can't believe it. As long as we have been together, I thought you of all people knew me better than that. That's just not fair!

"Ok… Bogg! Don't get so upset. I believe you, honestly. I was just having a little fun with you." Jeff reassured. "Come back over here and sit down. Please Bogg."

Bogg stopped his pacing, walked back over and sat down next to his partner. Jeff smiled at his partner and then asked. "Ok, she put the move on you, so, now what are you going to do?"

"I cannot let this jeopardize our mission. I'm going to have to avoid her at all costs. Besides, you don't fool around with someone else's wife, since there's always a jealous husband not too far away in the distance." Bogg stated with fervor.

Jeff laughed.

"Kid what are you laughing about?" Bogg asked as his voice increased in intensity. "I'm serious here. This is so not funny!"

"I'm sorry Bogg. I know it's not funny, but in a way it is." He acknowledged.

"What do you mean, kid?"

"Well, to see you running away from a beautiful woman." Jeff stated with amazement. "That has to be one for the record books."

Suddenly, Bogg reached over and began to tickle Jeff in the ribs. "One for the record books, huh? I'll show YOU, kid."

"Bogg stop!" Jeff yelled as he started laughing uncontrollably. "C'mon Bogg, stop."

"No, I'm not going to stop 'til you take it back." Bogg exclaimed as enjoyed torturing his partner.

"No! It's the truth! I won't take it back! Never!" Jeff exclaimed as he laughed and gasped for breath.

"Never, huh?" Bogg taunted.

"I can continue this for hours if you want." He threatened while continuing his torture.

"Ok…Bogg! OK, I give up!!! Stop! Please!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Say it kid! Say it!" Bogg taunted.

"Ok….OK! I take it back. I take it all back." Jeff responded.

Bogg stopped his torture and sat back in his chair. After they both had a chance to catch their breath, Bogg looked over at Jeff and asked innocently. "Kid, what am I going to do?"

Jeff sat there for a time, pondering his partner's question.

"Well, it's been a few minutes since you've said anything." Bogg teased. "How about it? Any ideas?"

In response to Bogg's prodding, Jeff spoke up.

"Hey, instead of avoiding her, what about just sitting down with her and discussing it openly. You know you've always been good at that. Take us, for example. Look at all those times, we've had conflicts and been able to discuss them and work them out."

"Yea, but you're a kid. Besides, this is different." Bogg replied.

"What's so different about it?" Jeff asked. "Just because she's an adult, doesn't necessarily make it any more difficult."

Bogg sat there, silent for several moments as Jeff stared at him and waited for an answer.

"Well, Bogg! What's so different about it?"

"I guess you have a point. If I can sit down with you and discuss our problems, then technically, I should be able to do the same with Mrs. Jefferson." Bogg replied with a note of confidence in his voice.

Bogg rose from his seat and started back into building.

"Bogg! Where are you going?" Jeff asked.

"Well, kid. There's no time like the present." Bogg said confidently. "I'm going to find Mrs. Jefferson and straighten out this mess right now!"

"Do you need me to come along?" Jeff asked with a hint of concern in his voice. "You know if I'm around, maybe she won't be able to take advantage of you."

"Thanks for the offer, kid, but no. You stay here. I'll be ok. Honest. If I need you, I'll yell or something. Ok." Bogg said with a smile.

"Ok, Bogg."

Bogg went back inside and began to search for Mrs. Jefferson. He walked down the corridor and peeked inside Jefferson's bedroom.

"Mrs. Jefferson?…Mrs. Jefferson, it's me, Phineas. Are you in there?" Bogg asked.

There was no one in the room. Bogg went on with his search, making his way to the parlor.

"Hello! Anyone there?" Bogg whispered. There was no sign of Mrs. Jefferson in the parlor. Bogg continued walking until he reached the dining room. He strolled into the room, but like all the other areas, there was no one around.

"She must be here somewhere." Bogg thought. "But where?"

Somewhat frustrated with the situation, Bogg went over to the window and looked outside. There in the midst of the garden was the one lady he was searching for, Mrs. Jefferson herself. He quickly made his way through the door of the tea room and out into the garden where she now was seated.

"Phineas!" Mrs. Jefferson exclaimed, surprised by his presence.

"Mrs. Jefferson." Bogg replied in a gentleman like manner. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No, I don't mind at all. Please, make yourself comfortable."

"Mrs. Jefferson. I believe you and I need to discuss what happened earlier during our tour." Bogg said openly.

"Phineas… I… I'm ever so sorry for what happened. I'm very surprised you even want to speak to me again after such a shameful act. I am so embarrassed by what I done."

"Mrs. Jefferson… Martha… Please… We're adults here." Bogg assured. "Can we discuss this rationally and try to resolve this apparent misunderstanding?"

"Can we Phineas?" Mrs. Jefferson pleaded. "Oh I wish I could go back and undo what I did."

"Martha…Please…Don't fret about it. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. Phineas, next to my husband, you are the most handsome man I have ever met. I have to tell you a little secret. The first time I saw you, I swooned at the sight of your beautiful manliness. I guess you could say it was love at first sight. From that point forward, all I wanted to do was to press my lips against yours."

Bogg's cheeks now had a touch of red in them as he was a bit embarrassed by Mrs. Jefferson's candor.

"Martha… uh…You have left me speechless. I'm truly flattered by your comments." Bogg said as he smiled at his hostess.

"Please, listen to what I'm about to say. Martha, I would never want to hurt you in any way. You are a very beautiful woman, one that any man would be proud to have as his own. You have a wonderful, loving husband who cares about you deeply. You only have to look around at this home and its beautiful gardens to see that. It's the ultimate tribute to the woman he loves so dearly. I would never forgive myself if I came between the two of you.

"Oh Phineas! Your words are so comforting and beautiful." Mrs. Jefferson said softly.

"You know, it's not easy being handsome." Bogg said with a bit of his usual wit and charm. "But I have a confession to make also. You are not the first woman that has ever fallen head over heels in love with me, in a circumstance such as this one."

"Well, that's hard to believe."

Bogg continued. "There have been others in the past who have tried to catch me in their web, so to speak and failed. Their failure was not because of a lack of effort on their part, but due to my own inability to make a commitment."

"What! A handsome man like you, afraid to make a commitment?" Mrs. Jefferson exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't believe a word of it."

"On the contrary, Martha…I have already made a lifetime commitment to someone. He's sitting out on the porch right now. It's Jeffrey! That little kid, who stole my heart so many years ago, is now the most important person in my life."

"But young Jeffrey is not your son, is he?" Mrs. Jefferson asked.

Caught totally off guard by Mrs. Jefferson's statement, Bogg attempted a response.

"What? How?…."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you." She said as she took hold of his hand and held it reassuringly. "How did I figure it out? Well, you could call it mother's intuition…or… it's could be the fact that the two of you bear no resemblance to each other."

"Well, no, he's not my actual son, but he's just as much mine as if I had conceived him myself." Bogg admitted.

"If I may be so bold, Phineas. I'm curious. How did your paths cross?" She asked.

"I met him, quite literally by accident several years ago. He had just lost his parents in a tragic accident and had been pretty much left an orphan. He had some living relatives, but they really did not want to take responsibility for him. I had just arrived in town on some important business when he got himself into a bit of trouble. That's when we first met. At that point, I helped him through his predicament. After that, he decided he wanted to stay with me instead of being alone."

"Phineas, so you decided to take him under your wing as your own?" She asked.

"Uh… yes and no. For years, I had traveled the world alone, going from place to place working for my keep. I had nothing to tie me down. No responsibilities, no family, no friends, nothing. I had always felt that something was missing from my life, but I had no earthly idea what it was. When Jeffrey came along, I was very reluctant to have him around at first. He was, for all intents and purposes, a thorn in my side. At one point, I almost left him at an orphanage."

"Phineas, how could that sweet, loving little boy be a thorn in your side? And if that thought wasn't bad enough, you were going to abandon him at an orphanage? How could you?" She asked with a tear in her eye.

"I know…I know…At the time, the only person I was thinking about was myself. I didn't realize for one moment, what joy this one little person would bring into my life." Bogg said with an overwhelming sense of emotion coming from within.

"What changed your mind?"

"Well…" Bogg paused for a moment, now embarrassed by what he was about to say next."

"The turning point came, when I threatened to leave Jeffrey at the orphanage." Bogg said, as tears began to well up in his eyes. "

"Oh Phineas, I didn't mean to upset you." She said reassuringly.

"It's ok, really. It's still very painful for me to talk about. Someone should have hit me with a stick after making that threat. To this day I wish I could take back those terrible words that I said to him." Bogg wiped his eyes on his sleeve and continued his story.

"Anyway, I had threatened to leave Jeff at the orphanage. The little guy ran over to me, tears flowing down his cheek and told me how much he wanted to be with me. The look on that sad little face was enough to soften even the hardest of hearts. At that point he took my heart prisoner and I knew we were meant to be together for the rest of our lives."

"As time passed, we became closer and closer. First, we became buddies, then close friends and after a while, he began to think of me as a father figure. In return, I also started thinking of him as my own son. Because of this unique relationship, I would do anything for him, from climbing the highest mountain to crossing the widest ocean. I have made a 100 percent commitment to him to raise him up properly and see him on into his adulthood." Bogg said proudly.

"Oh, Phineas. What a wonderful person you are to take on such a task. Jeffrey should be very proud to have you as a father. Now I understand completely. Once again, I'm sorry for what I did to you earlier, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me." She pleaded.

"My dear Martha, all is forgiven. Please don't give it another thought." He reassured.

"Martha?" Bogg asked.

"Yes dear, what is it?" She replied.

"There's one other thing."

"What's that?" She asked.

"Jeffrey and I were sent here by Franklin and Adams, as you well know, to convince your husband to come back to Philadelphia and finish writing the Declaration." He stated.

"Yes, I know."

"As you well know, we're not having much luck at changing his mind." Bogg said sullenly.

Mrs. Jefferson put her hand over her chest and began to laugh. "Sometimes, Phineas, Mr. Jefferson can be quite stubborn. I should know. I have to live with him."

"Mr. Jefferson, stubborn?" Bogg said as he chuckled. "I would have never guessed."

"Martha, he really must return and finish his work. Things are not looking very good for the people of this land. The King is using his power to take advantage of those who live here and this must be stopped for the good of everyone. We the people of this great land must be allowed to form our own government and to govern ourselves as we see fit. Mr. Jefferson and his Declaration of Independence are the keys to making this happen."

"But what can I do, Phineas?" She asked. "I'm just his wife."

"Jeff and I would be ever so appreciative if you would speak with him and help us convince him to return." Bogg pleaded.

"Phineas, after what I put you through this morning, I believe I am in your debt. I will speak with Mr. Jefferson once he has finished with his chores. Maybe, I can convince him to go back with you."

"Thank you…Martha." Bogg said as he stood up and kissed Mrs. Jefferson on the cheek. "You are one beautiful lady. Whatever you do, always remember that."

"I will, Phineas… I will!" She replied.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I must check on Jeffrey." Bogg said as he made his way back inside.

Bogg walked out onto the porch where Jeff had remained. Much to his surprise, his partner had been overtaken by the cool breezes and the quiet surroundings and had fallen asleep. He went over and sat down next to him.

"Kid." Bogg whispered. "Wake up!"

Jeff raised his head, slowly opened his eyes and yawned a bit. "Bogg, you're back."

"Yea, I'm back and all is ok."

"You spoke to Mrs. Jefferson?" Jeff asked.

"I did. She was very sorry for her actions and apologized profusely. We discussed what happened and all is now forgiven."

"That's great, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "Looks like we'll be able to complete the mission after all."

"That's not all, kid. I spoke with her about our problem with Mr. Jefferson and she has agreed to help us convince him to return to Philadelphia. "

"See! I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you Bogg!"

"Thank you kid. That means quite a lot to me." Bogg acknowledged with a smile.


	12. The Big Announcement

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 12 – THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT**

As the two Voyagers sat there on the porch basking in the warm sunshine, they began to discuss the high points of their mission. Time was of the essence and they knew all too well they were no closer to reaching their goal than when they first arrived. Over the course of the day, the two hashed out the details of plan after plan in an all-out effort to find a way to get this stubborn man to see reason. With no other viable alternative for changing Jefferson's mind, the two came to the conclusion their only hope was Mrs. Jefferson's ability to persuade him. It was make or break time, so at this point, the two decided to take advantage of their surroundings and grab a quick nap.

Fully absorbed in the calm and peaceful nature of their surroundings, Bogg and Jeff's little 'nap' had managed to encompass the remainder of the afternoon. With the sun now on the horizon, Mrs. Jefferson had quietly strolled out onto the porch to invite her two guests in for the evening meal.

"Phineas…Phineas…Wake up!" Mrs. Jefferson whispered, as she leaned over and touched Bogg on the arm.

"Whaa! What's going on!" Bogg said sleepily.

"Phineas…It's me, Martha. You and Jeff need to wake up and come in for dinner."

"Ok, sure ma'am. I'll wake Jeffrey and we'll be right there."

"We'll be waiting for you in the dining room." She said as she turned and went back inside.

Bogg nudged Jeff on the arm. "Hey kid! Wake up!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Jeff exclaimed as he slowly opened his eyes.

"C'mon Jeff, they are waiting for us in the dining room." Bogg urged.

"Ok…OK, I'm right behind you."

The two went inside and met their hosts in the dining room.

"Please gentlemen, be seated." Mr. Jefferson insisted.

Bogg and Jeff pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

Mrs. Jefferson picked up the little bell from the table and quietly rang it. Jennie and the Butler emerged from the adjacent room.

"We are ready to be served now." She stated.

Quietly, the two went back through the doors and proceeded to push two serving carts out to the table. While the butler poured the wine for their guests, Jennie served the main course.

"Mr. Bogg, I sincerely hope you and Jeffrey have enjoyed your day here at our plantation. It's not often we get to have guests here." Mr. Jefferson said, expressing his pleasure with having them around.

"Sir, we have enjoyed ourselves to the fullest here. Haven't we, Jeff?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, it's been great." Jeff acknowledged.

Bogg looked at their two hosts and thanked them for allowing them to stay at their residence.

We appreciate all your generosity as well as the hospitality you have extended to the two of us. I'm just sorry it has to end so soon."

"Mr. Bogg, Jeffrey, it was our pleasure." Jefferson replied.

"Sir, Jeff and I must be on our way back to Philadelphia tomorrow." Bogg stated.

"Oh, Mr. Bogg. Why are you leaving so soon?" Mrs. Jefferson exclaimed. "You only just arrived yesterday!"

"Mrs. Jefferson is correct. Why not stay a while longer?" Jefferson urged.

"Well, sir, we both would love to stay here and further enjoy the hospitality you have extended to us. However, Dr. Franklin and Mr. Hancock will be expecting us back soon. In light of this, Jeff and I would like to ask you once again to reconsider your previous decision and return with us." Bogg pleaded to Jefferson's sense of loyalty.

Jefferson started to speak and was cut off in mid-sentence. "Mr. Bogg…I" At this point, Bogg began his speech to try to convince him of the importance of his return.

"Wait, sir. Before you respond, please let me say this. Many years ago, our forefathers risked life and limb to sail across the ocean and settle here. Their purpose for taking such a bold risk was to escape the religious persecution and tyranny that was then rampant in their land. Now, after more than 100 years, the same persecutions and tyranny have once again reared its ugly head to haunt the descendants of these people. At this point, the choices are few. They must either submit to the will of Old King George, relinquishing the freedoms their ancestors so valiantly risked their lives for or fight for independence."

"Mr. Bogg…I" Jefferson said as he attempted to interrupt the brilliant oratorio.

"Please, Mr. Jefferson, hear me out. I guess what I am trying to say is this. Your people are now at an important crossroads in the development of this land. On one hand, you have the ability to declare yourselves independent and to begin the process of becoming a new nation, or you can sit and do nothing and let King George take over and run everything. In order for the people of this land to survive, it will be up to men like you, as well as Washington, Adams, Franklin, and Hancock to stand up and fight for your rights and freedoms. Mr. Jefferson, you and your work are the keys to winning this battle. That is why Jeff and I are asking you to please come back with us and finish your work."

Jeff looked over at Jefferson and pleaded with him. "Please come back, sir. Bogg and I will do everything in our power to help you."

Jefferson, stunned by what he had just heard, put down his fork. He sat back in his chair and for a time said nothing.

Mrs. Jefferson focused her attention on her husband. With one raised eyebrow, she spoke up and began to press Mr. Jefferson to speak.

"Thomas, what are you waiting for? Tell them!" Mrs. Jefferson prodded. "Tell them what we've discussed."

Unexpectedly, he began to speak. "Ok, my dear. Ok! I'll tell them."

"Tell us what, Mr. Jefferson?" Jeff asked, now puzzled by their response.

"Mr. Bogg…Jeffrey…I have been quite moved by your statements here this evening. Mr. Bogg, you have brought up many valid points for why I should return to Philadelphia and continue my work. Your arguments were excellent and as much as I hate to say it, your speech was convincing, yet unnecessary." He said with a smile.

Jeff nudged his partner. "It sounds like he's not coming back with us! Now what 'ill we do. " He whispered.

After overhearing his young guest's comments to his partner, Jefferson turned to his wife and smiled before correcting the misunderstanding.

"On the contrary, my dear young friend." Jefferson quipped. "Earlier this afternoon, Martha and I sat down and had a rather lengthy discussion about my work in Philadelphia."

"You did?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, son, we did." Jefferson replied as he nodded to his lovely wife and smiled. "I have to say though, much like my learned colleague from Massachusetts, she too had much to say on the subject."

"Why Thomas, you make me sound like old nag who can't keep her mouth shut." Mrs Jefferson teased.

"My love, I would never, ever say that about you." Jefferson reassured.

"Gentlemen, I won't bore you with the details of our conversation, but in summary, Martha here, convinced me of the importance of my work. She made me realize once again, my place is there…to finish the work that I started for the good of all of those people in these thirteen colonies. "

"So you ARE coming back to Philadelphia?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, Mr. Bogg. Rest assured, I will be with you on your return trip." Jefferson acknowledged with a smile.

Jeff and Bogg turned and gave each other a 'high-five' in celebration of their achievement.

"What was that?" Jefferson asked, innocently.

"Oh, that just our secret handshake so to speak." Bogg explained.

"Oh, Ok… Well now that the cat is out of the bag, let's all sit back and enjoy our meal." Jefferson urged. "We will get a good night's sleep tonight and set off on our journey to Philadelphia early tomorrow morning."

"Hey! What about the carriage?" Jeff asked his partner.

"Good point, kid. Mr. Jefferson, how are we going to get there? Our carriage has not yet arrived."

"Please do not concern yourselves. Several hours ago, while the two of you were sound asleep on the porch, your driver arrived with your carriage. It has been repaired and will be waiting outside for us tomorrow morning."

"Thank goodness." Jeff exclaimed, relieved by the knowledge he wouldn't have to ride a horse back to Philadelphia. "My saddle sores are just beginning to heal from the last horseback ride here."

Upon hearing Jeff's comments, Bogg and the Jefferson's burst into laughter.

"Jeffrey, I will make sure your trip back is much more comfortable than the one which brought you here. I believe Mrs. Jefferson has some spare feather pillows upstairs we can borrow to cushion your posterior on the way back." Jefferson teased.

"Kid, sounds like you are going to be given the royal treatment." Bogg said as he winked.

"Yes, and as I understand it, Old King George's throne doesn't have half as much padding." Jefferson said as he once again chuckled.

After several hours of good food and lively conversation, the Jefferson's, Bogg and Jeff retired to the parlor for their evening imperatif, where they enjoyed each other's company well into the evening.

As the evening began to wind down, a clock on the wall of the parlor began to strike the 11th hour. Startled by the sound, Bogg gazed at its face, before stretching his arms and yawning a bit. He then looked at his partner, who by this time had rested his head on his shoulder and had fallen fast asleep.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson. As much as I hate to put an end to our lovely evening here, I feel Jeff and I must get to bed. We will need all the rest we can get to prepare for our trip tomorrow morning." Bogg said gracefully.

"Mr. Bogg, you have a good point." Jefferson agreed. "I'd say it is also time for us to retire and get a good night's sleep as well."

Bogg rose gently from the settee, trying not to wake his partner. Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson stood up and started toward their bedroom.

"Do you need some help with Jeffrey?" Mrs. Jefferson asked.

"No ma'am. Thank you though. I think I can manage." Bogg replied.

"Well, goodnight to you both." She said softly.

"Goodnight!" Bogg replied.

As Jefferson and his wife disappeared through the door of the parlor, Bogg reached down and picked up Jeff in his arms and made his way slowly up the staircase to their room. As he pushed open the door, he heard sound of footsteps coming from behind him. Startled, he slowly turned to see who it was.

"Mrs. Jefferson?" Bogg asked curiously.

"Yes, Phineas. It's me." She whispered. "I figured you would have your hands full with Jeffrey, so I came to help you."

"Thank you ma'am, but you really didn't need to."

"No, I insist. You are our guests and it's the least I can do. Please, you wait here and let me go inside and make the bed for you both."

"Thank you Martha." Bogg said graciously. "You are most kind."

Mrs. Jefferson quietly entered the room. Upon making her way over to the bed, she meticulously folded back the covers and fluffed the pillows. With her task completed, she turned to her guest, who was standing in the doorway with his partner still in his arms.

"Ok, it's your turn." Mrs. Jefferson prompted.

Bogg tiptoed over to the bed and gently lowered his partner onto it without waking him. He stood back as Mrs. Jefferson lovingly tucked the young Voyager in for the night and kissed him on the forehead.

With Jeff now securely tucked in, Mrs. Jefferson proceeded toward the door. Bogg quickly walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped suddenly and looked back at him.

"Thank you, Martha!" He whispered.

"No, thank you, Phineas. Goodnight to you both." She replied as she made her way out the door.

Bogg quietly closed the door behind her, then walked over to the bed and climbed in. Minutes after he had put his head down on the pillow, he too was fast asleep.

Early the next morning, Bogg and Jeff rose early. After freshening up a bit, they made their way to the dining room to enjoy one last meal at Monticello.

As they entered the dining room, Jefferson and his lovely wife followed them.

"Good morning gentlemen!" Mr. Jefferson said politely.

"Good morning to you both" Bogg replied.

"Please be seated and make yourselves comfortable." He insisted.

As the two Voyagers took their seats, Jefferson escorted his wife over to the table and pulled the chair out for her. Once she had sat down, he pecked her on the cheek and proceeded to sit down in the captain's chair.

Mrs. Jefferson picked up the silver bell from the table and graciously rang it. Jennie and the butler entered the room right on queue. Mrs. Jefferson gave her instructions to the two and within moments the two had disappeared into the adjacent room.

"Mr. Bogg, what time had you planned on leaving today?" Jefferson asked.

Mrs. Jefferson laughed a bit, before glancing over to her husband and teasing him.

"Why Thomas, are you in a hurry to leave? Are you implying that you are tired of my company?"

Bogg and Jeff laughed. Jefferson smiled at his wife and began to reassure her.

"Well, since you brought it up, my dear…" Jefferson said with a tease.

"Why Thomas, I can't believe you would even entertain such a thought!" She exclaimed.

"Calm yourself dear, I'm just teasing you… Jefferson said warmly. "I could never become tired of your company. I love you, Martha and I will start missing you as soon as the door closes behind me."

"Well sir, now that we have cleared up that little misunderstanding…" Bogg said, before being interrupted by the laughter of their hosts.

"Misunderstanding? A little bit more and it could have been an all out war!" Jefferson stated boldly. "And we all know who would have won that battle."

"I've taught you well!" Mrs. Jefferson said as she smiled at her husband.

"Sir, Jeff and I were hoping to leave immediately after breakfast. It's a couple of day's journey and the sooner we get started, the better."

"That's fine, Mr. Bogg. I will need to gather a few things to take with us." Jefferson replied.

Jennie and the butler pushed their serving carts out to the table and began serving the Jefferson's and their guests.

"That will not be a problem." Bogg replied as he started to eat.

The Jefferson's and their guests partook of the grand spread laid before them as they enjoyed each other's conversation. Bogg and Mr. Jefferson spoke of his upcoming work in Philadelphia as Jeff and Mrs. Jefferson talked about Bogg and how they met. After a time, they finished with their meal, sat back in their chairs and contemplated the delicious food they had just eaten. After a moment, Bogg looked over at his partner.

"Kid, why don't we go and wait for Mr. Jefferson in the carriage. Besides, he and Mrs. Jefferson need to say their goodbyes."

"Right Bogg!"

"Wait! Before you go…" Mrs. Jefferson exclaimed as she rose from the table, walked over and stood in front of the two Voyagers.

"Thank you both for coming to our humble home." Mrs. Jefferson said as she bent over and hugged Jeff. "You take good care of your father for me, ok."

"I will." Jeff said. "I promise I will."

"And Mr. Bogg. Thank you for coming as well. I hope you and Jeffrey have enjoyed your stay here with us." She said warmly. Without warning, she put her arms around Bogg and whispered in his ear. "Take care of yourself, Phineas."

"I will" He whispered.

"And Jeffrey too… Take good care of him, Phineas. Do whatever it takes to bring him up properly. Be his friend, his companion as well as his dad and always be there for him. Whatever you do, enjoy the time you have left with him, for in a few short years he will quickly grow into adulthood. Always remember, he loves you dearly. You only have to see his actions to realize that."

Mrs. Jefferson released him from her embrace. Bogg raised his arm and wiped a tear on his sleeve.

"I hope the two of you will come back and visit us again."

"We will… Thank you…Martha." Bogg acknowledged as he turned and faced his partner.

"Well, kid, let's go and wait for Mr. Jefferson in the carriage." Bogg urged as he put his arm around Jeff.

The two left the dining room and went outside. As they emerged through the door, they saw their carriage and driver waiting for them at the end of the walkway. Upon reaching the carriage, the driver opened the door and they both stepped inside.

"Bogg?"

"Yea, kid."

"What did Mrs. Jefferson whisper in your ear?"

"Mrs. Jefferson didn't whisper anything in my ear." Bogg replied. "You're just imagining things, kiddo."

"No, Bogg, I saw it with my own eyes." Jeff argued. "She said something to you, now spill it!"

"Spill what?" Bogg questioned. "Like I said, she didn't whisper anything in my ear."

"Yea, right!" Jeff exclaimed with disbelief. "Do you think I fell off a turnip truck yesterday or something? I saw it Bogg. And don't deny it! Whatever she said, it brought a tear to your eye."

"A tear? What are you talking about kid?"

"When she released her hold on you, I saw you wipe your eye on your sleeve." Jeff said pointedly.

"I just had something in my eye. Besides, she hugged me so hard, I thought my eyes were going to pop out." Bogg said as he attempted to sidestep the issue.

"Bogg, c'mon give it up. Spill it!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Ok, kid. You forced my hand on this one." Bogg said as he resigned himself to his partner's inquisition. "She told me to take care of myself. If you must know, she also told me how lucky I am to have you by my side." He quickly turned his head away from Jeff and began to stare off into the distance attempting to hide his emotions.

"Bogg! Look at me, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed.

Bogg turned back to face his young partner. "Yea, what now?"

"If I have never said it before, let me say it now." Jeff said with feeling and emotion.

"What's that, kid?"

"I'm a lucky kid also to have you as my friend, my partner and my dad." He said softly.

Bogg reached over and hugged Jeff. "Thank you, kid. You don't know how it feels to hear that from you."

Just as Bogg had released his hold on his partner, Jefferson appeared at the door of the carriage. He unlatched the door and handed Bogg a lap desk and a couple of books, along with two fluffy feather pillows for Jeff to sit on. He then climbed inside and took a seat.

"Well, gentlemen, are we ready to go?" He asked excitedly.

"We're ready, sir." Bogg said as he nodded.

"Then let us be off." Jefferson stuck his head out the window of the carriage and motioned for the driver to begin their journey. The driver snapped the reins and they were on their way.


	13. Jefferson's Return

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 13 – JEFFERSON'S RETURN**

Unlike the trip to Monticello, the return trip for Bogg and Jeff was very quiet and uneventful, if not boring. As the carriage weaved its way down the road through the vast wilderness, the two Voyagers sat quietly staring out the window, observing nature as it passed them by. By this time, Jefferson had pulled out the lap desk he had brought along and began to make revisions to a draft copy of the Declaration. For hours he sat there deeply engrossed in his work with little regard for his traveling companions. At the end of the first day of travel, Jefferson put down his pen and looked over at Bogg.

"Mr. Bogg! It's finished!" He proclaimed.

"Uh.. What?…Excuse me, sir, but what did you say?" Bogg asked.

"I said, it's finished!"

"What's finished, Mr. Jefferson?" Jeff asked.

"Why the Declaration, of course." Jefferson replied. "I have completed all of the revisions that Congress had suggested and I believe I am ready to write the final draft."

"That's great, sir." Bogg replied. "That's one more step closer to freedom."

"I will need to meet with the committee of five when we get to Philadelphia and let them look at it, but I believe they will be very pleased once they've read it. Now that my task is completed, I believe I'll sit back and enjoy the company of my two friends."

Jeff poked Bogg in the arm and whispered. "It's about time he said something. I was beginning to think he was mad at us or something."

"You said it, kid." Bogg said with a smile.

With this, Jefferson began to make up for his long hours of silence by taking on the role as the group's tour guide. As they traveled through each little township, he would explain its history as well as talk about the well-known people of the area.

As the sun began to set on the horizon, Jefferson, now weary from his travels so far, leaned back in his seat and dozed off.

"Whew!" Jeff whispered. "Thank goodness he's asleep. My ears needed a rest."

"C'mon, kid, lighten up!" Bogg chided. "He was just being considerate."

"Considerate? I can't remember the last time I heard someone talk that long." Jeff whispered emphatically. "Uh, wait a minute. I believe your little talk with me at Plymouth came very close to setting a record."

Bogg turned to his partner with a lowered brow. "Yeah kid. It just seemed long because you were on the receiving end. If you want, I'll be more than happy to do an encore performance for you right now!"

"No, Bogg! That's okay, really." Jeff said rather nervously. "We don't need to revisit that again. I think I got the message loud and clear."

Once again, Bogg just couldn't resist. "You think…YOU THINK you got the message?" Bogg exclaimed in a whisper. "Sounds to me like what I said didn't sink in after all."

"It did, Bogg, really, it did…I promise!!!" Jeff acknowledged.

"It better have, kid." Bogg said as he smiled and winked at his partner.

"BOGG!!!!" Jeff exclaimed as he realized his partner was again pulling his leg.

As the sun began to set on the horizon, Bogg and Jeff, tired from their long day of travel, leaned back in their seats and fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------

After a couple of days passed, the three finally arrived back in Philadelphia. As the carriage slowly made its way up the narrow street, Jeff, now awake, shook his partner.

"Hey, Bogg! Wake up, we're here!" He prodded.

"What nooooow? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep." Bogg moaned sleepily.

Jeff leaned over and whispered in Bogg's ear. "Bogg, wake up, there's beautiful women all around us."

Bogg jumped from his seat. "WHAT! Where! Where are they, kid!"

"It's about time you woke up." Jeff said as he laughed at his partner. "Sorry, you just missed them, Bogg."

"Funny, kid, very funny. Now that I'm awake, what's the big ordeal?" He asked.

Jefferson, after hearing all of the noise, began to awaken.

"What's all the noise about?" Jefferson asked.

"Well, we're here!" Jeff said as he pointed in front of them. "Look! It's Independence Hall."

"Hey, we've made it, kid! We're back!" Bogg exclaimed.

"Now the real work begins." Jefferson said with an overwhelming sense of burden on his shoulders.

The carriage pulled up to the steps of Independence Hall and stopped. As the driver opened the carriage door and the three emerged, Dr. Franklin and Adams came down the steps to greet them.

"Mr. Bogg, Jeffrey, Mr. Jefferson! Welcome back!" Adams said as he walked over and shook their hands.

"It's good to be back, sir." Bogg said with gratitude.

"We kept our part of the deal. We brought Mr. Jefferson back with us." Jeff said proudly.

"And so you did, young man." Franklin acknowledged. "Welcome back to you all and especially to you Mr. Jefferson."

"Thank you Dr. Franklin, Mr. Adams." Jefferson said as he stood beside them.

Suddenly, Hancock came through the doors and made his way down the steps to the little reunion now taking place.

"Mr. Jefferson! Good to have you back." Hancock exclaimed as he walked up and put a hand on Jefferson's shoulder and shook his hand. "I'm happy you have returned. I could sure use your help."

"Thank you, Mr. Hancock." Jefferson replied. "Gentlemen I have some good news for you. On my way back to Philadelphia, I have completed all of the revisions to the Declaration. We need to meet and discuss the current draft."

"Yes, Mr. Jefferson, we do need to meet. Unfortunately, we have a few more corrections to make as well." Adams stated.

"Mr. Jefferson. Since it is so late in the afternoon, why don't you and your friends go freshen up, get something to eat and a good night's sleep. If it's acceptable to all here, let's all meet back here tomorrow morning and continue our work." Franklin said with some forethought.

"Dr. Franklin, Gentlemen, that would be most acceptable." Jefferson agreed. "Shall we meet here, say around 9 o'clock."

"9 o'clock it is!" Adams replied.

"Gentlemen, if you will excuse us, Adams and I need to get back inside and calm the masses." Hancock said as he politely excused himself.

"Good to have you back, Jefferson!" Adams said as he and Hancock turned and went back inside.

"Dr. Franklin, are you not going to join them?" Jefferson asked, a bit puzzled by it all.

"No. My gout is acting up again." Franklin replied. "I'm going home and put my foot up on a nice soft cushion for a while. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Is there anything we can do for you Dr. Franklin?" Bogg asked.

"Thank you, my dear friends, but no. The best thing for me now is rest." He said with the emphasis of an MD.

You go and rest that foot, sir." Jefferson urged.

"I will." Franklin replied as he gingerly walked away.

Jefferson turned to his traveling companions. "Gentlemen, do you have a place to stay for the night?" He asked.

"No, sir." Bogg confirmed. "Could you recommend some accommodations for us? We don't need anything fancy, just the basics."

"Bogg! What do you mean 'nothing fancy?' We don't want to sleep on a bale of hay." Jeff teased.

"Your son has a point, Mr. Bogg." Jefferson said as he laughed. "Just the basics and nothing fancy…ummm…I know just the place."

Jeff looked over and nudged his partner on the arm. "Ok, Bogg, you wanted the basics, here it comes…I can see it now, a loft full of hay in the local stable."

"Jeffrey!" Bogg shouted as he turned to his young companion with a stern look on his face.

"Mr. Jefferson, I'm sorry for my son's rudeness…" Bogg said as he apologized for Jeff's ranting. "Kid, we'll take care of that mouth later.

Jefferson roared with laughter. "Mr. Bogg, don't be too harsh with the boy. Besides, he's a good lad and has a great sense of humor.

"Lad, as much as I hate to disappoint you, I was thinking of the little inn down the street. They have good food and a warm bed just waiting for you both."

"Yay! A soft, warm bed to sleep in…I can't wait!" He exclaimed.

"Sir, where is this inn located?" Bogg asked.

"It's only a few minutes walk from here on the right side of the street. Be sure and tell the innkeeper I sent you." Jefferson insisted.

"Thank you sir." Bogg replied.

"Thank you Mr. Bogg. And now…I must be take my leave of you. Until tomorrow then." Jefferson said with grace and dignity.

"We'll be there, 9 o'clock sharp." Bogg confirmed.

"Good afternoon to you both." Jefferson said as he walked away.

"C'mon kid. There's a bale of hay waiting for you to sleep on." Bogg teased as he kept a straight face.

"What do you mean? We're staying at the inn." Jeff asked.

"After your little bit of rudeness back there, I'm sleeping in the inn. You are spending the night in the hayloft."

"C'mon Bogg." Jeff said with an overwhelming sense of disbelief.

"No buts, kid! You need to learn to respect your elders. Maybe a good night's sleep in the stable will do it for you." Bogg chided.

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Jeff whined with a sad look on his face.

"Wanna bet?" Bogg quipped.

Jeff stood there looking down at his feet, silent. Bogg put his arm around his partner, looked at him and smiled.

"C'mon kid. I would never do that to you." Bogg reassured as the two walked down the street. "There's a warm, soft bed waiting for us both."


	14. A Meeting of the Minds

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 14 – A MEETING OF THE MINDS**

Morning came quickly for the two Voyagers. After literally inhaling their breakfast, the two hurriedly made their way back to Independence Hall. Upon entering the building, their friends Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin greeted them.

"Good morning, Mr. Bogg… Good morning, Jeffrey" Jefferson said as he rose from his desk and walked over to them.

"Good morning to you sir." Bogg and Jeff replied in unison.

"Mr. Bogg!" Adams exclaimed as he ran over to him and clasped his hand.

"I want to once again thank the two of you for all your gallant efforts to convince our dear colleague here to return. I don't know what you said to him, but, whatever it was, it worked for sure!" He said in gratitude.

Slowly and cautiously, Franklin hobbled over to greet the two Voyagers. Following closely behind him were the remaining members of the committee of five.

"Dr. Franklin… Are you ok?" Jeff asked. "Shouldn't you be resting that foot of yours?"

"My dear lad…Thank you, but do not concern yourself. I will be just fine. It's just my gout acting up again." He reassured. "Mr. Bogg…, Jeffrey, I too wish to thank you both for all your efforts to persuade Mr. Jefferson to come back."

"Dr. Franklin…Mr. Adams…No thanks are necessary." Bogg replied. "We just wanted to lend a hand."

Franklin turned to the two gentlemen behind him and motioned for them to step forward.

I would like to introduce you both to the remaining members of our committee." Franklin said with his usual formal manner. "This is Mr. Robert Livingston."

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Bogg said as he reached and shook Livingston's hand

"Nice to meet you." Jeff said.

"The pleasure is all mine. " Livingston replied.

"And this, my friends, is Mr. Roger Sherman" Franklin said as he stepped aside.

"Likewise a pleasure…sir." Bogg replied.

"Now that all the formal introductions have been completed…may we all return to our seats and begin the work of the day." Adams said rather curtly. He turned and proceeded to walk back to his desk. "You know… we do have a declaration to finish!"

"Gentlemen, please pay him no attention. He awoke on the wrong side of the bed this morning. All he needs is a little bit of ale and a beautiful wench to keep him warm tonight and he will be just fine." Franklin said as he began to laugh.

From the far side of the room, Adams exclaimed, "I heard that!"

"I knew you would." Franklin taunted. "That's why I said it out loud."

"Seriously, gentlemen." Franklin whispered. "Mr. Adams has been away from his wife for many months now. He misses her very much. That is the reason for his rather unpleasant disposition today. Come. Let's be seated before he starts again. His bellowing makes my foot ache."

The committee members took their seats and began the task that had been set before them.

"In light of the recent events, on behalf of this committee, Mr. Jefferson, we would like to express our sincerest apologies for the abuse which you took during our last congressional session. We are very grateful that you decided to return and continue with the work at hand. Also, let us not forget our new friends, Mr. Bogg and his son Jeffrey. If it wasn't for their generous help, we would not be here today."

"Thank you, Mr. Adams…gentlemen… It was our pleasure to help you. Right kid?" Bogg acknowledged.

"Right!" Jeff replied.

"Now, Mr. Jefferson, have you had an opportunity to complete those corrections which were made in the last session of Congress?" Adams asked pointedly.

Jefferson turned to face his colleague. "Yes, Mr. Adams. I have reviewed the proposed corrections and have made the appropriate modifications. I have created several copies of the current draft for the members of this committee to review."

Jefferson rose from his seat and began to pass out copies of the current draft to the members of the committee. Once finished, he quietly returned to his seat and started making notes.

For some time, the committee remained silent while they read the current draft.

Bogg finished reading his copy and looked over at his partner.

"Well, Bogg." Jeff whispered. "What do you think?"

"It's good kid, quite good." Bogg replied. "Here, you read it and see what you think."

Jeff took the document and began to read it. A few minutes later, he poked Bogg on the arm.

"What kid?" Bogg whispered.

"Bogg. We've got a problem here."

"What's that?"

"Well, there is a paragraph here that is not a part of the final Declaration." Jeff explained.

"Which one is that? Show it to me." Bogg whispered.

Jeff held the copy in front of his partner and pointed to the paragraph. "It's this one here."

Bogg took the draft from Jeff and read the paragraph again. When he finished, he looked up from the document. With a puzzled look on his face, he turned to Jeff.

"Ok. Explain to me why this one paragraph could possibly cause such a major problem?" He asked.

"It's a long story, but here it goes. You know all about the practice of slavery during this period? Right?"

"Sure, kid. I'll have you to know, American history was a required subject at Voyager Academy. But, I thought slavery had been abolished." Bogg said.

"It has…or it will be, but not for at least a hundred more years."

"Anyway, where was I. During the 1700's and part of the 1800's there was very little opposition to slavery. In the North, the shipping industry depended on the money it received from transporting slaves to the keep its economy going. The South relied heavily on slaves to work the fields, harvest the crops and to do all of the manual labor needed on the plantations. It wasn't until later that slavery became a very unpopular practice in the United States. You remember the Civil War?"

"Yea, kid. I remember. We went back to that time to save President Lincoln from being kidnapped." Bogg said.

"Well, slavery was the issue which started that war. It was a disagreement over its abolishment, which escalated to the point where the North and South went to war. It almost split this country apart."

Bogg sat there, intensely focused on his partner's every word. Jeff continued with his explanation.

"The problem with this paragraph is that it contains points that most in this day and age do not agree with. First, 'slavery is an evil practice and against human nature.' Second, 'King George is perpetuating the slave trade for his own purposes.' The last point, which will be the one that sinks the ship so to speak is, 'slaves have the right to life and liberty.' So you see, this one paragraph will be just enough to keep this document from being ratified."

"So in a nutshell, this one paragraph could cause these colonies not to become a free nation?" Bogg asked somewhat bewildered.

"Yep. You said it. When the final draft was read before congress in 1776, the representatives from the Southern colonies as well as some from the Northern colonies refused to sign the document until this paragraph was removed." Jeff explained.

"Well, kid…what do we do now?" Bogg whispered.

"Nothing…" Jeff replied in a nonchalant manner.

"Nothing! But you said…" Bogg argued in an excited whisper.

"I know what I said Bogg, but, we cannot interfere at his point… All is going as it is supposed to." Jeff said with a lack of concern.

"So why did you bring it up in the first place if all is proceeding normally?" Bogg asked.

"I just wanted you to know this paragraph could potentially be a show-stopper. Especially, if Jefferson and Adams can't be convinced by the delegates to remove it."

"Ok, kid…Is there anything else we need to be watching out for? You know, are there any more of this so-called show-stoppers?" Bogg asked.

"Nope, this is all for now." He replied.

"Mr. Jefferson." Adams said as he began to speak. "This draft is quite good and to the point. Ol' King George should not have any problem deciphering this. I believe we should be able to get this document ratified in Congress."

"Thank you Mr. Adams" Jefferson replied with overwhelming gratitude.

"Gentlemen, I believe we have overlooked one important issue. " Livingston said as he pointed to the document.

"What's that, Mr. Livingston?" Jefferson asked.

"Well, sir, this paragraph concerning the King's involvement in the slave trade is not going to go over well with the delegates from the South." He said pointedly

"I am well aware of that, Mr. Livingston." Jefferson replied. "If you read the document, specifically, the line which states… "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Those are the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How can we declare the inhabitants of this land, free men, if we pick and choose which men are to be free?"

"Yes, but the southern colonies are not going to allow for the abolishment of slavery. It's their life blood, their bread and butter so to speak." Livingston said. "When they read this, they are not going to like it whatsoever. This may be just the thing that causes the entire southern delegation to walk out."

Adams looked over to his colleague. "I agree with Mr. Jefferson. You can't just declare freedom for one man and not for another. If you say 'all men are created equal', then it must be that. It cannot mean one thing for some and something different for others. I say we leave that paragraph in the document and take our chances."

"Here, here! Mr. Adams, I too agree that we should leave it in." Mr. Sherman exclaimed.

"Well, Dr. Franklin...What is your opinion on this matter? You are being very quiet, today." Adams teased.

"Frankly, Mr. Adams, my mind is currently trying to overcome the throbbing pain of my foot. Currently, my foot is winning the battle." Franklin replied with his usual wit.

The group burst into laughter as Franklin continued.

"As for the question now on the table, there are two obvious answers. Either you leave the paragraph in and risk losing the support of the southern colonies or you remove it and allow this document to define the slaves as a group of second-class citizens. This completely negates the sentence 'all men are created equal'. As I see it, it is a no-win situation."

"So, where do you stand, Dr. Franklin?" Adams asked impatiently.

"Sir, I say leave the paragraph in."

Adams at this point interrupted Franklin and quickly posed the obvious question to the group. "Ok, so we are all in agreement here?"

"Wait, Mr. Adams, please let me finish…" Franklin interrupted. "As I said, leave the paragraph in, but we better have an alternate plan in case there is a problem."

"I agree." Livingston concurred.

"Ok, gentlemen, what is our alternate plan? Any ideas?" Adams asked the group.

The group sat there silent, contemplating Adams' question. Seconds later, Jefferson spoke up.

"Well, as I see it, the only alternate plan is to agree to take out the offending paragraph."

"Ok, are we NOW in agreement?" Adams prodded once again. "We leave the paragraph in, unless we have problems with the southern delegation. At that point, we agree to remove it."

The group unanimously responded in agreement with Adams.

"Ok, gentlemen. Are there any other corrections we need to make to the current draft?" He asked.

Adams looked at each of the members of the committee who in turn responded negatively.

"Well, I believe we now have a final draft document to put before the members of Congress. That being the case, I make a motion that we adjourn and meet back here tomorrow to put this before Congress."

"Here, here! Mr. Adams. I second that motion and my foot seconds it also." Franklin said with a smile.

The committee members rose from their seats and began to shake hands and congratulate each other on a job well done. As they made their way toward the door, they once again showed their appreciation to the two voyagers, without whose help none of this would have been possible.

Once everyone had left the hall, Bogg and Jeff remained behind and were now alone in the empty room.

"Well, kid. Looks like things are back on track now." Bogg said as he reached for his omni.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked his partner.

"Well, Jefferson's back. The final draft has been written. Everything is back to normal." Bogg replied, relieved by the prospect.

"Not so fast, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "It's not a done-deal yet!"

Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt; opened and looked at it. A look of disbelief now came across his face.

"Bats-breath! Another red-light!" He exclaimed.

Jeff shook his head. "What did I tell you? It's not over yet." He teased.

"What's up now, kid?" Bogg asked, innocently.

"I'm not believing this…" Jeff muttered to himself.

"Bogg!! Are you having a "senior moment" or what?" He said as he continued to tease his partner.

"A senior moment? That sounds serious." Bogg said innocently as he began to feel his forehead for a fever.

"Bogg, listen to me…You are not sick, just a little forgetful." Jeff replied. "Remember the paragraph I told you about. Well, guess what! It's still there!"

Bogg had an epiphany. "Hmmm, that's right, kid. They didn't take it out after all."

"So, what do we do now?" Bogg asked.

"As I said before…NOTHING! All is going as expected. They will put this final draft before Congress tomorrow. As I recall, the southern delegation objected to the paragraph when the draft was presented and refused to take any action until it was removed. The committee of five had no other choice than to remove it before the document is presented again in the session on July 2nd. After much review and debate during that session, Congress met one final time on July 4th and voted to ratify the document."

"I hope you are right, kid. Otherwise, we may be here for quite a while." Bogg said as he resigned himself to a possible 'extended mission.'

"Trust me, Bogg. Everything is going along as it is supposed to." Jeff reassured.

"I'll defer to your judgment on this one." Bogg said confidently.

The two got up from their seats and started to leave the hall. As they made their way toward the door, Jeff stopped in front of his partner and put his finger in the middle of his chest.

"So, Bogg, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" He asked.

After Jeff's comment about his "senior moment" and his forgetfulness, Bogg determined some well-deserved aggravation was now in order for his partner.

"You know, I was thinking about a nice, long nap on the beach." Bogg explained, in a sort of dream-like state.

"Well, you definitely have a problem there, 'cause the nearest beach is hundreds of miles away."

"I think the walk will do us good." Bogg replied with a straight face.

"Walk to the beach? Now I know you've lost it." Jeff exclaimed.

Bogg laughed. "Hey, there's always rock-climbing, kid?"

"I hate to further disappoint you but, I don't believe there are any rocks around here big enough to climb?" Jeff teased.

"Ok, I give. You come up with something!", said Bogg.

Jeff looked up at his partner and with a raised brow and a slight grin. "Whaaaaat about…" He said as he paused for a moment and turned away to hide his laughter.

"What is it…c'mon now… You can tell me…But just remember, paybacks are bad… really, really bad…" Bogg said as he smiled at Jeff.

"Ok, whaaaaat aboooouuuuut… we go and do some "bird watching?"

"What? Bird watching! I really don't think so…Besides, I'm not into birds at all." Bogg said with a hint of a smile coming through.

"You sure could have fooled me. How many times have you had a pretty bird in your arms and your lips locked on to her?" Jeff teased.

"Oh…yea! That kind of bird watching…" Bogg replied as his mouth dropped and he almost started to drool. After Jeff's statement had fully sunk in, Bogg turned to his partner and began to playfully chastise him for his comments.

"Why Jeffrey Jones… I know your mom taught you better. I cannot believe you would use such language in front of an innocent person like myself. Calling beautiful women, 'birds!' I am shocked and dismayed." Bogg exclaimed while attempting to hold back a laugh.

"Innocent! You! Yea, right! There's more mileage on your lips than on that omni of yours!"

"Really… You think so… Just wait 'till I get my hands on you!" Bogg shouted in a playful sort of way. "Let's see, I think the phrase is 'you're cruisin' for a brusin'.'"

Jeff took off running and stopped just inside the door of the hall and taunted his partner again. "Yea, whatcha' gonna do? Huh? Huh? Just remember old timer, the last time you tried to catch me… You were breathing so hard, I thought I was gonna to have to call a doctor for you."

"Old timer? I told you kid, I'm in my prime." Bogg reminded his partner.

"In your prime? More like passed-it. And it's miles behind you in your rear-view mirror." Jeff said with a laugh.

As Bogg slowly walked toward his partner, he smiled and waived his finger at him out of sheer intimidation. "Come here, kid… C'mon, you know you've got it coming. Just you wait and see."

"Oooooooh nooooooo!", Jeff said as he backed slowly through the door. "As I said, you've got to catch me first."

Bogg raised both his hands in the air and replied rather nonchalantly, "Hey kid, no problem." Without warning, he took off running after his partner as Jeff leaped out the door and ran down the street


	15. The Unveiling

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 15 – THE UNVEILING**

It was a sunny, warm day in Philadelphia. Unlike the delegates currently meeting inside the sweltering heat and stuffiness of Independence Hall, most of the people of the town were out and about taking advantage of the beautiful mid-summer weather.

Mr. Hancock, now some two hours into the current session of Congress, pounded his gavel on the desk to regain order and to move on with the business of the day.

"May we come to order! " Hancock exclaimed as he sat down in his chair.

The loud and boisterous group reluctantly began to quiet down. After a while, only a few whispers could be heard coming from the back of the room.

Hancock continued with the agenda.

"The last item on today's agenda is the reading of the final draft of the Declaration. I have put this item at the end of the agenda, since I believe it is an item of great importance and will take quite a bit of time to work our way through it. Delegates, if you will, please hold your comments and concerns until the complete document has been read. If there are no objections, we shall now proceed. Mr. Jefferson, if you will be so kind as to begin the reading."

Jefferson walked to the front of the room, document in hand, and stood behind the podium.

Bogg and Jeff had found a comfortable place to sit at the side of the room, out of the line of fire, but near an open window. As Jefferson prepared to begin the reading, the two looked at each other with a bit of apprehension.

"Well, Bogg. Here it comes." Jeff whispered.

"What do you mean, kid?"

"You know. He's going to read that paragraph and the southern delegates are going to walk out."

"Oh, yea! Oh…this is not going to be good." Bogg said reluctantly.

"We better be prepared to do damage control." Jeff warned.

Jefferson cleared his throat and took a sip of water from a glass conveniently placed near him.

"Thank you, Mr. President." Jefferson said cordially.

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

As Jefferson continued the reading, Bogg sat motionless in his seat, held totally captive by Jefferson's powerful words. Jeff shifted in his seat and quickly noticed his partner's intense concentration.

"Bogg! Hey! Are you ok?" Jeff whispered as he waved his hand in front of Bogg's face.

"Yea kid. He's quite a writer." Bogg replied to his partner.

"Not only that…he'll go on to be a great President, too. " Jeff said pointedly. "Oh, if my dad could be here now… to be a part of all this. He would just eat it up."

"He's here with us kid." Bogg said as he smiled and put his hand on Jeff's heart. "And also in there, too. Your mom and dad would be extremely proud of you now, having taken part in the birth of the country."

"Bogg don't forget…you have a part in this too."

Bogg hugged his young companion. "Yea, I know."

Jefferson continued to read his draft document to the delegates. In anticipation of the reading of the offensive paragraph, Jeff nudged his partner to get his attention.

"Bogg, get ready!" Jeff whispered. "Here it comes!"

Jefferson continued his reading, uninterrupted.

"He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the king of Great Britain determined to keep open a market where men should be bought and sold. "

Upon hearing the beginning of this passage, the delegates began to converse amongst themselves in a low rumble.

Hancock pounded his gavel. "Please excuse me Mr. Jefferson. Delegates! May we have order here!"

The delegates once again became silent. "Please continue Mr. Jefferson."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Jefferson said before continuing.

"He has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce; and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another."

Upon hearing this, the entire room burst into an uproar. One of the southern delegates stood up and demanded an explanation.

"Mr. Jefferson, sir. To all those in attendance here, it is quite obvious where you stand on the subject of slavery. However, I do not understand how you can stand there and recite such a notion, knowing that the southern colonies will not and cannot agree to such verbiage being included in this document."

Jefferson, undaunted by the delegate's cutting remarks, took no exception. Before continuing with the reading, he addressed the delegate and his concerns.

"Sir, I understand your concern." He said humbly. "However, if we are ever to become a free and independent nation, then, as I stated earlier, all men must be considered equal in the eyes of the law and of God."

The delegates broke out into a frenzy. Once again, Mr. Hancock attempted to regain control.

"Gentlemen, GENTLEMEN, PLEASE BE SEATED AND COME TO ORDER!"

Another of the delegates from the south stood up and began to attack Mr. Jefferson.

"My dear Mr. Jefferson. I wholeheartedly agree with my learned colleague. I have only one question to ask of you. Sir. We commissioned you to take to task the writing of a document which would stand to form the basis of a free and independent government. What gives you the right to apply your personal beliefs to it? And above all, how can you stand there and attack the slave trade, when you yourself own slaves? Slavery is a necessity. Without it, the economies of this land will fail."

As Jefferson attempted to respond to the question, he was rudely interrupted by several other delegates. Again he attempted to respond, he was cut off in mid-sentence. After his patience had been stretched to its limit, he bowed his head, stepped out from behind the podium and walked out of the room.

"Bogg! We've got to do something!" Jeff shouted to his partner over all the commotion.

"Yea, kid. I'll go after Jefferson. You see what you can do here." Bogg yelled as he rose from his seat.

At that moment, Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams quickly ran after Jefferson as he left the room. Dr. Franklin, who had taken notice of Bogg as he rose from his seat, motioned for him to follow. Bogg nodded and swiftly ran after them both.

With all the mayhem going on throughout the room, Hancock jumped to his feet and started yelling at the delegates in an attempt to bring some order to the room. He pounded his gavel on the desk several times until finally the head of it broke off and like a bullet, zoomed across the room.

"DAMN! It would have to break at a time like this!" Hancock exclaimed as he slung the handle across the room in disgust.

"GENTLEMEN, PLEASE COME TO ORDER!" He yelled.

The delegates continued on in a state of uproar. With his gavel now broken, he had to find some way to get the delegates attention. Out of desperation, Hancock stood on top of his desk and let out a whistle that could have shattered the window panes. Suddenly the room calmed down.

"GENTLEMEN!" Hancock yelled with contempt. "If I may indeed call you that after this latest bit of pandemonium. Please be seated and come to order!"

A voice came from the back of the room. "Mr. President, Mr. President."

"Yes, Mr. Jones. What is it?" Hancock quipped as he got down off his desk.

"May… May I ad---dress the Congress?" Jeff asked nervously.

"Sir. In light of what just transpired, I cannot see any harm in you doing so." Hancock acknowledged as he straightened his collar and sat down.

Jeff slowly made his way to the front of the room. He paused for a moment in front of Hancock, who smiled and nodded as if to say "Go get'um kid!" Jeff winked at him and then walked over to the podium.

For a time, he stood there trying his best to calm his legs which were now trembling from fright. He cleared his throat and then looked up at the delegates. Hancock then introduced him to the assembly.

"Delegates, this is Mr. Jones. He and his partner Mr. Bogg were solely responsible for convincing Mr. Jefferson to return to Philadelphia. Mr. Jones, the floor is yours."

"Thank you…uh… thank you sir." Jeff said as he stumbled a bit on his words.

"It's been well over a hundred years since the first explorers ventured out across the oceans to find these undiscovered lands we now stand upon. These men put forth every effort and risked life, limb and wealth to make this discovery a reality. Some hundred years later, in 1607, the first settlers arrived at Jamestown. They also risked life and limb to cross the Atlantic and settle there. "

Jeff continued. "And let us not forget, the Pilgrims, in 1620, who bravely risked their lives to sail from Holland to England and then again from England to arrive at Plymouth to start yet another new colony in this land. They, along with those living in the Jamestown settlement, lived through harsh and perilous times until their colonies were firmly established."

As Jeff was speaking to the delegates inside, Bogg, Mr. Adams, and Dr. Franklin were outside trying to calm the now agitated Jefferson.

"I won't! I will not go back inside and allow these madmen to continue their wonton verbal abuse of me. It's unprofessional and I'm not going to stand for it any longer." Jefferson yelled as he paced incessantly.

"Calm down, Thomas. Calm yourself." Franklin urged. "You cannot let this setback get the best of you."

Adams chimed in. "Jefferson. Don't let it get to you. Your document is a great piece of work. If they don't understand that, then that is their loss."

"Mr. Jefferson?" Bogg prompted as he walked toward Jefferson. Upon getting his attention, Jefferson stopped in his tracks and turned his ear to the Voyager.

"What is it, Mr. Bogg?" Jefferson asked.

"Sir… When I was a little boy, my father in all his great wisdom passed on some rather sage advice to me. At that time, I didn't quite understand, but as I grew older, its meaning became ever so clearer to me."

"Mr. Bogg, please enlighten me." Jefferson urged.

"What he said was this… 'There will be times when you find yourself in the midst of troubled waters, feeling there is no hope. Whatever you do, don't ever give up. Summon up all the strength and power you can muster and fight. Fight as if your very life depended on it.'" Bogg said as he now pictured that moment vividly in his mind.

Jefferson nodded his head as he looked at Bogg. "Mr. Bogg, your father was a wise man. Very wise indeed."

"I agree, sir." Bogg replied. "What I'm trying to say is this. Don't give up! You must summon up the strength and the courage to go back inside and fight this, for the sake of all those in these colonies. You must do whatever it takes to overcome this obstacle. Even if that means, putting aside your own beliefs for a time for the greater good."

Jefferson paused for a moment as he pondered the meaning of his friend's words.

"Mr. Bogg. Like I said once before, you always seem to say the right words at just the right time."

"Yes sir, I know." Bogg replied.

Adams turned to his colleague and attempted to soothe his wounds.

"Jefferson, I know the feelings you have toward the abolishment of the slave trade. I agree with you wholeheartedly on the subject. However, we must take things one-step at a time. First we must declare ourselves independent, then we can take on the issue of slavery. What we must do at this point, Jefferson as much as I hate to do it, is to implement our alternate plan. Based on the response minutes ago, I'd say that's the only way we will get the southern delegates to agree to ratify it."

Jefferson stood there, silent, contemplating the words of his colleagues.

"What do you say, Thomas?" Franklin asked. "Isn't it time for the alternate plan? We can always take on the slavery issue at a later date."

Jefferson smiled and responded with a sense of relief.

"Thank you gentlemen. You all are of course correct. If the boat has a hole in it, jumping overboard will not solve the problem. At this juncture, we must remove the offensive paragraph."

"I see his sense of humor is back." Franklin teased.

"Shall we all proceed inside?" Adams asked.

"By all means." Jefferson agreed.

Jefferson made his way inside, with Bogg, Adams and Franklin following closely behind him. As they stood for a moment in the vestibule, Franklin heard a somewhat unfamiliar voice inside the hall, speaking to the group.

Franklin put his finger aside his lips. "Shhhh! Gentlemen!" He whispered. "Who is that speaking?"

The four grew silent as they listened intently to the voice coming from within. Unlike his three friends, Bogg promptly recognized that all too familiar tone of his young partner and began smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"Who IS that?" Adams asked in a state of bewilderment. "That's not one of the delegates."

Jefferson turned to his colleagues. "Instead of standing here asking questions, why don't we go inside and find out."

"Good idea, Thomas." Franklin replied.

The three founding fathers along with Bogg quietly opened the door to the hall and stepped inside.

Surprised by what he saw next, Jefferson reached back and grabbed Bogg's arm and pointed to the front of the room.

"Mr. Bogg! Look! It's Jeffrey!" Jefferson whispered excitedly. "He's addressing the delegates!"

Even though Bogg already knew Jeff was addressing the delegates, he played along with Jefferson and attempted to act surprised.

"It's…it's Jeffrey! " Bogg exclaimed in a whisper. "What's he doing up there?"

Adams stepped over to Jefferson and whispered in his ear.

"What's that child doing up there?" Adams asked skeptically.

"That child…as you so put it is Mr. Bogg's son Jeffrey." Jefferson quipped. "And what he's doing is speaking to the whole of the delegation."

"What's he saying to them?" Adams asked curiously.

"John…If you will be quiet for a moment, we just might be able to determine that." Franklin quipped.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, Jeff continued his speech to the delegates. Unbeknownst to him at the moment, Bogg and the three founding fathers were standing just inside the door listening to his every word.

"From the time Columbus set foot on this continent until the present day, what is the one common thread that binds all these people? Let me tell you. Freedom! They all came in search of a new world, in search of opportunity and in search of freedom. Freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom to live, work, worship and play as God had intended."

"Consider this… Are you willing to throw away all the hard work of all those who came before you? You know, those who came here in search of these freedoms. Are you also willing to cast aside what so many have paid the ultimate price for? And for what? A 100 word paragraph declaring slavery to be evil."

"I'm just a kid. And you may say, what does this kid know about government, laws, freedoms and liberty? Well, I'll tell you. I know very little about these subjects. But, there's one thing I do know even at my age. What's that you may ask? There is more at stake here than you realize. You, as appointed representatives of the 13 colonies, by not standing together, are allowing a golden opportunity to pass you by. It's one that may never present itself again. Gentlemen, this is your chance to become a free and independent nation, to govern yourselves and above all, to enjoy those rights which are given to all men. The way I see it, you can go forward and take advantage of this opportunity or you can sit here and let King George continue to whittle away at your freedoms until you have none. The choice…is yours."

The delegates began to applaud Jeff's short speech. Hancock stood up and called the group to order.

"Delegates, may we come to order." Hancock asked calmly as he pounded his new gavel on the desk.

As the assembly quieted down, Hancock addressed the young Voyager and the group.

Mr. Jones, thank you for your words of wisdom and insight into our cause. It is with great sincerity I pray your words have struck a chord with those in attendance today. I feel as a group we need to take a moment and re-examine our reasons for being here. Once again…Thank you."

Jeff bowed his head and modestly stepped away from the podium. As he began walking back to his seat, he looked up and observed his partner at the back of the room waving his arms in the air. Once the two had made eye contact, Bogg motioned to Jeff to join him and his friends.

Stunned by what they had just heard, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams were now in a huddle, whispering amongst themselves and discussing ideas for getting out of their predicament.

After a few moments, Jeff arrived at his partner's side. Bogg, extremely pleased and proud of his partner's efforts, got down on one knee and complemented his partner on a job well done.

"Good job!" Bogg exclaimed.

"How long have you been standing here?" Jeff asked.

Bogg put his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Long enough to hear that impressive speech you gave. I'm proud of you kiddo. You came across like a real statesman up there."

Jeff blushed a bit. "C'mon, it wasn't that all that good."

Bogg nodded his head. "Don't sell yourself short, kid. It was good…very good! After that speech, you might just have a future in politics. "

Jeff paused for a moment, reflecting on the idea. "Hmmm… President Jones…" He whispered as he daydreamed of the prospect. "It does have a sort of ring to it, don't you think Bogg?"

"It does. " Bogg agreed. "Unfortunately, we don't have time for your inauguration, Mr. President. We've got a problem to fix here."

"Awww, Bogg! You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you?" Jeff exclaimed.

After quite a lengthy discussion with Adams and Franklin, Jefferson turned to greet the young Voyager.

"Jeffrey!" Jefferson said as he shook Jeff's hand. "That was an impressive speech you gave, son."

Jeff smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, sir. I was just doing my job."

Jefferson nodded. "And what was that job, son. To dress down all those in attendance here? Heaven only knows they needed a good tongue-lashing. I only hope your words were enough to show them the error of their ways. "

"I do too!" Jeff replied.

Jefferson quickly noticed the young Voyager had no nothing in his hands. Rather puzzled by Jeff's lack of materials to support his speech, he lowered his brow, quizzically and posed the obvious question.

"Oh, I'm curious, Jeffrey." Jefferson said. "Where are your notes? As good as that speech was, surely you had some notes to go by."

"No sir." Jeff replied as he pointed to his noggin. "It was all in here. I just walked up there and attempted to make a few points."

"Well regardless of how it was accomplished; it was impressive to say the least." Jefferson boasted.

In a bold gesture, Jefferson turned to Bogg, Franklin and Adams and said the one thing that none of them were anticipating.

"Gentlemen, I think it is time for a compromise." Jefferson said.

Jefferson stepped forward and walked to the front of the room and stood behind the podium. After pausing a few moments to focus his mind, he started once again to address the delegates.

"A few moments ago, I, along with Franklin and Adams walked into this great hall and as we stood at the back of the room, we were, hmmm, how shall I put this… quite taken by the words of our young and learned friend. I'm sure your response to his rather eloquent speech was the same as mine. My dear colleagues, even though he is not a medium, he seems nonetheless to have a true gift of foretelling the future."

The delegates chucked a bit and then became silent.

"Seriously though." Jefferson continued respectfully. "In the small amount of his speech that I did hear, he made some very valid arguments. Arguments, that I believe we all have lost sight of in this very heated and highly emotional debate we've been engaged in. After pondering the meaning of his words, it has become quite apparent that we must maintain a significant amount of unity in this Congress. We, as representatives of our constituents, must be united and work together as a whole if we ever intend to see the fruits of our labors. Therefore, with this in mind, I have made the decision to strike the slavery paragraph in question from this document."

After a few moments of silence, Mr. Hancock finally spoke up.

"There being no apparent objections, we will ask Mr. Jefferson to make this change in the final draft. Mr. Jefferson, if you will, please continue with the reading.

Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt and opened it. Much to his surprise, the red light was swiftly replaced by a bright green one. After closing it and clipping it back to his belt, he motioned to Jeff to come toward him. Upon putting his arm around his partner, he and Jeff quietly exited the hall and stood outside on the front steps.

"Kid, we did it, we have a green light!" Bogg whispered.

"Show me!" Jeff said curiously. "After all this, I want to see it for myself."

Bogg retrieved the omni, opened it and held it in front of him.

"See. What did I tell you? It's green!" Bogg said with a hint of relief in his voice.

"Well we did it!" Jeff exclaimed proudly.

Bogg got down on one knee and put his finger on Jeff's chest as he started delivering a speech of his own.

"I just want to tell you how proud I am of you today." He whispered. "You showed great courage getting up in front of that rowdy bunch and letting them have it. I really didn't know you had it in you, kid."

"Thanks, Bogg! I didn't know I had it in me either." Jeff said as he grinned from ear to ear.

"And you should be proud as well." Bogg continued. "How many people your age can say they had a hand in the birth of a new nation?"

A hint of red suddenly highlighted the young Voyager's cheeks. "I am." He said meekly.

Bogg got to his feet and opened the lid of the omni.

"Well?" Jeff asked. "Is it still red?"

"Nope, it's green." Bogg confirmed. "So where to from here?"

"Well we can't just leave here without seeing the final outcome. Why don't we omni forward to July 4th and be there when they ratify the Declaration?" Jeff asked.

"Sure, kid. Why not?" Bogg replied as he set the dials.

"Great!", said Jeff.

Jeff grabbed hold of Bogg's arm and they vanished.


	16. The Final Act of Treason

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
TASTES OF FREEDOM - BOOK 2  
(Sequel to Discoveries)  
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
March 2007 (Revised 05/2009)  
Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 16 – THE FINAL ACT OF TREASON**

Having only been gone for what seemed like seconds, the two Voyagers arrived back at Independence Hall, on the 4th day of July 1776 to witness the ratification of the Declaration. They fell through the portal and landed upright on the front steps, unnoticed.

Bogg opened the omni and peered curiously at it.

"July 4th 1776 and a green light to boot!" Bogg confirmed. He swiftly closed the omni and clipped it to his belt. "C'mon kid let's go inside."

As the two approached and entered the hall, President Hancock was taking a roll-call vote on the Declaration of Independence.

"Connecticut?" Hancock prompted.

Connecticut's delegate rose from his seat. "Connecticut, says yea"

The Congressional page took a long stick and slid the Connecticut plaque into the yea column on the tally board.

"Delaware?"

"Delaware says yea."

"Georgia?"

"Georgia says yea."

"Massachusetts?"

Mr. Adams slowly rose from his chair. With flair and panache, he began to cast the vote for his colony.

"Mr. President, Massachusetts, the land where it all begun…" Adams said boldly before being interrupted.

At this point, a low rumble came from the delegates.

"Please Mr. Adams. Keep it short and to the point. Yea or Nay?"

With a hint of disgust on his face, Mr. Adams cast his vote. "Oh alright, Massachusetts says YEA!"

As the two Voyagers stood unobtrusively at the back of the room, Bogg, intrigued by this whole process, leaned over and whispered to his partner. "This is really exciting, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Jeff replied.

"You know, to be here to see the votes taken." He explained with excitement. "To actually observe democracy in action."

The roll call vote continued until the final colony's name had been read and their vote tallied. At this point, Mr. Hancock rose from his chair and addressed the delegates.

"My fellow delegates, in light of the votes cast today, I declare this document ratified by the majority and declare this land well on its way to becoming a new nation."

Hancock summoned the congressional page to his side. He ordered the young boy to go to each of the churches of the town and instruct them to ring their bells to signify the ratification of the document.

As the delegates began to celebrate their achievement, Bogg and Jeff turned and quietly made their way outside and began walking down the street.

"This has been quite an adventure, kid." Bogg said wryly.

"Yea Bogg." Jeff agreed. "Almost like a roller-coaster ride."

"A roller-coaster?" Bogg asked innocently.

"It's a carnival ride, Bogg." Jeff replied.

"Oh!" Bogg said indifferently.

"I wonder what our next assignment will be like?" Jeff asked.

"I really don't know, but, it will be interesting." He replied.

Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt, opened it and set the controls. Without warning, the green light on the omni went out for a moment.

"Huh! Now what's wrong with this stupid omni?" Bogg said in disbelief. He started hitting the omni on the side with his hand as if brute force would make it work again.

"What is it now?" Jeff asked.

"The omni just went dead."

"Went dead, let me see."

Just as Jeff looked at the omni, it started to function again.

"It's working now. But…wait a minute! Both lights are flashing." Jeff said excitedly. "Here, take a look."

Bogg looked at the omni as it began to flash both the green and red lights in a pattern that looked vaguely similar to Morse code.

Flash…Flash…Ding! Flash…Flash…Ding! Flash…Flash…Ding!

Bogg stared at the instrument as he attempted to interpret the signal. "Wait a minute, I know this! It's the Voyager recall code!"

"The Voyager recall code? What's that?" Jeff asked.

"It's only used in the gravest of situations to recall all Voyagers back to headquarters. Once this recall circuit has been activated, you have about a minute to grab your omni and your belongings before you are transported automatically back to VHQ."

Bogg's explanation had somewhat unnerved his partner. "Bogg, this doesn't sound good."

"Kid, something really bad must have happened." Bogg said anxiously. "They don't activate the recall circuit for just any ole thing."

Bogg quickly reached over and took hold his partner. "Kid, hold on, we are about to…." Bogg said as both he and his partner vanished.

THE END


End file.
